Friday, October 12, 2007

Blackwater

It seems that it's not only the Iraqi witnesses who say the Blackwater guards were not provoked into firing upon civilians. U.S. soldiers investigate and can turn up no evidence that Iraqis were doing anything but trying to get out of the way. The report calls it a "criminal event."

Of course, it could be that there is no love lost between the Blackwater guards and soldiers, considering stories like this one claiming that guards had some soldiers on the ground at gunpoint.


Posted by m at 8:23 PM
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous10/12/07, 9:25 PM

    I'm wondering, is Blackwater et al insurance against an american military coup? I mean what has happened to other countries that have a very powerful military and a very unpopular government...?
    Not a pretty picture.
    Of course then one would need insurance against the mercenaries, in case they get mutinous...
    b-movie material but still

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  2. m10/13/07, 8:53 AM

    well, there is SOME reason the state department is big on these guys, and that they have been given immunity to prosecution in iraq.

    i was thinking something similar recently when listening to a report about myanmar - but not about a coup against the government (although there seems to be a growing vocal faction of ex-generals and a similar sector of the CIA, so i wouldn't be too quick to totally dismiss the idea).

    our own history shows the military being used by the government against civilians from time to time, and that's what i was thinking about. people sometimes say that it couldn't happen here because the citizenry is permitted to bear arms. however, we don't have tanks and heavy artillery, and we've seen how armed citizenry fare in places like ruby ridge and waco, and even in peaceful protests in florida and washington against tanks and riot gear, so i don't think it's our shotguns and rifles that are keeping us from being overtaken by the military. whether the military would be led by civilian government officials or military generals might not make much difference.

    and you are right about just changing the face of the oppressor. sadly, it seems to be an indelible human characteristic.

    as dr. seuss has said in the butter battle book....

    "we will see...."

    thank you for the comment, for thinking, and for giving us all a chance to think again.

    m

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