Blackwater mercs in New Orleans since Katrina and still there now

[Robbien]

BLACKWATER’S MEN actually beat the federal government, FEMA, the Red Cross and all these organizations to the hurricane zone.

In fact, I interviewed Cofer Black--the former head of counterterrorism at the CIA, and now one of the top people at Blackwater--at a mercenary conference, and he told me that they sent a helicopter and a bunch of their guys down there without any contracts at first. Clearly, they saw this as an opportunity to really cash in on the disaster of Katrina.

Within days of their guys deploying down there, Blackwater was handed a very lucrative $409,000 contract--literally to guard a morgue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fourteen guys, four vehicles, for 22 days--and they were paid $409,000.

That contract, which was not open to public bids, was awarded to Blackwater, and it would kick off a contract spree that in just four months would amount to over $30 million for Blackwater.

I came across Blackwater quite by accident. I was in the French Quarter talking to two New York police officers, when this car with no license plates sped up, and these huge mercenary types--wearing all khaki, carrying M4 machine guns, with ammo strapped to every part of their body, wearing sunglasses with the foam strap around the back--got out. And they asked the officers, “Do you know where the rest of the Blackwater guys are?” The police officers said, “Yeah, they’re all over the place,” and one sort of pointed them in the direction down the street where they needed to go.

So these guys who literally had just been in the thick of things in Iraq were now marching around the streets of New Orleans, with automatic weapons. They told me that one of their roles was to stop looters and confront criminals. One of the guys showed me a Louisiana state law enforcement badge and said they’d been deputized.

YOU’VE WRITTEN that the Department of Homeland Security plans to keep its contract with Blackwater for two to five years. What are they supposed to be doing?

THAT’S A very good question. We don’t know at this point, and one of the reasons that we don’t know is that not even members of Congress can see these contracts. We were able to get about four months of Blackwater’s contracts, but that’s only because of the uproar that was created by the presence of mercenaries on the streets of a U.S. city.

I was just in Washington, meeting with some congresspeople, and one member of Congress told me that she’s not even allowed to see any of the contracts in general, but when she is, she has to go into a padded room. She’s not allowed to bring in any kind of writing equipment or paper, and she’s not allowed to say what she saw in that room after she’s viewed the contracts.

That should be a cause of great concern among people, because what little oversight actually did exist in the federal government in this country has really been thrown out the window by this administration.

more. . .
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=72&ItemID=10353

[Scoody Boo]

1. I tried to go to Iraq with Blackwater...

never heard back from them after some "passport" issues. Wound up going there with RamOps Security. Even better pay.

[uppityperson]

2. you are a merc? Please tell me more, really, am interested.

[Scoody Boo]

3. No, and I find that term offensive...

in reference to me. I worked for a security company. There are no "mercenary" type missions ongoing in Iraq. At least not when I was there.

[uppityperson]

5. ok, I can see that, sorry, have a friend working in Kuwait with some co.

You are right, it is a prejorative term thrown around to mean a paid security person. Sorry. What were you doing, where were you, how was it all?

[Scoody Boo]

8. I was mostly doing convoy escort...

that was what we were hired to do. Our "base" was in Baghdad, but we pretty much went everywhere escorting supply convoys for other private companies that the Army was not longer escorting.

[uppityperson]

12. Why not go the military route? Why do private contractor?

Are you back stateside now? What are you up to now? Did you do this sort thing before? I have not gotten to talk with someone doing this and am interested. Again, I may strongly disagree with you, but still am interested in hearing, learning more from the horses mouth, so to speak.

[Scoody Boo]

26. I am former military.

I served in the US Army from 1987-1991. Served with 3rd Ranger Battaion and 1/506th Infantry in Korea.

I am back in the states. Have been for over a year. I went because I wanted to start a business and it was a good way to get the money for it.

[uppityperson]

27. Probably pays more than military. Didn't you say you were Mexican before?

did this contribute to passport problem?

[Scoody Boo]

28. I am a naturalized citizen of the US.

Originally I am from Mexico. There were some stamps on my Passport that Blackwater was not comfortable with.

[uppityperson]

30. got it, trying to remember who has said what about themselves.

not always easy. So, did you get your business going here?

[Scoody Boo]

31. Yes, I did start my business...

and in the year I have had it, I have expanded twice. I am doing very well with it.

[TahitiNut]

18. My cousin (Jon S________) is in the "security" business ..

... and rarely is so fastidious. His specialty was as a sniper, but now mostly 'trains' such folks. I have very little tolerance of such vocations, myself. :shrug:

[coalition_unwilling]

29. You may not be a mercenary, but Blackwater is a mercenary firm . . .

Here's a snip from an article you might find illuminating:

MAASS: WHAT IS Blackwater USA?

Scahill: BLACKWATER USA is the most rapidly growing and, arguably, the most successful mercenary firm in the world today.

A few years ago, no one had ever heard of it. The company was founded by a very right-wing fundamentalist Christian and former Navy SEAL by the name of Erik Prince. Prince comes from a family that was a major bankroller of far-right-wing causes. His father was a close friend of Gary Bauer and helped him to found the Family Research Council.

Link to entire article:

http://counterpunch.org/maass06022006.html

I'll be interested to hear your reaction.

[Scoody Boo]

32. Some people...

find the idea of being mecenaries romantic in a way. But to me, Mercenarie's missions are offensive in their objective. Mercenaries are hired to fight.

The defensive mission of the contractors in Iraq right now, is not what Mercenaries are hired to do.

[Selatius]

4. Well, he went for the pay, he admits

That should be enough of an answer for you.

[htuttle]

6. I find it easier to just rob banks

It's a lot less likely that I'll have to shoot someone.

[Scoody Boo]

9. It would have been a lot safer...

to rob banks. No one blows up bank robbers.

[uppityperson]

7. No, not enough of an answer. I am interested in hearing more.

see it as part of my education, like to learn about other people. Not saying I approve or agree with anyone, but like to hear about them.

[Selatius]

10. If the stated reason you went to Iraq is simply the pay...

then your intentions are no better off than the warprofiteers themselves. The only difference is that the biggest profiteers do business here in the states by building the guns and bombs that Bush's War Machine consumes. They hardly if ever see the fucking battlefield, yet they get millions if not billions in defense contracts. He's a security guard getting paid fat stacks of cash, while the men and women who enlisted to serve their country are paid shit for wages in comparison, and they never had a choice about going to Iraq or not. Bush made that decision for them.

If you want to become a security contractor in Iraq, go ahead. It's a free country after all. When in Rome, do as the Romans.

[The Magistrate]

13. People Have To Earn A Living, Sir

Use of arms is a trade like any other, and if a man has expertise in it that can command a better sum in pay than his other skills might, there is no particular reason he should not take employment that brings him the greater advantage.

[htuttle]

14. That's exactly how I feel about robbing banks

Thank you for summarizing it so concisely.

[The Magistrate]

16. Have You Any Particular Expertise Along That Line, Mr. Tuttle?

Criminal eneterprise is no business for amatuers; there is a great deal of craft knowledge involved. From some angles, certainly, the thing can be viewed as morally neutral....

"Some men rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen."

[htuttle]

20. Just enough to know better

I certainly wouldn't place myself in the same league as world-class bankrobbers like Neil Bush, Johnny Dobbs, or Willie Sutton.

All in all, since my financial needs are modest nowdays, I decided to just write software for a living. Just because I could earn a lot more money doesn't mean I necessarily should.

[The Magistrate]

22. You Can Probably Earn A Good Deal More At That, Sir

Than at robbing banks; the typical take of a stick-up is just a few thousand dollars. Of course, if you can manage to commit the tobbery from a desk inside the bank, the sky is the limit, but it requires a lot of work and many years to get into that position for the caper....

[Catrina]

21. Couldn't agree more. Do a google search on the mercenaries in Iraq

Ask the Iraqi people what they think of them ~ As to the term 'mercenary'? The British Press refers to its 'security contractors' as mercenaries. They got lots of work in that field as a reward for supporting Bush's illegal war.

We all make choices in life. Choosing to be in a position of possibly having to shoot a Citizen of an invaded country, isn't one most people would make. And many Iraqi citizens have been killed by these people. In fact, military generals have objected to their presence, since they are unable to control their activities, and have stated that their 'cowboy' attitude towards the Iraqi people has made their job very difficult.

Rummy wants a private army. That's why he refused to listen to those who wanted to send in a large enough force to keep the peace after the invasion. They intended to use private mercs, yet fooled the American people into thinking that the appropriated funds for this war was for the troops.

This was NOT approved by the American people ~ and most are horrified when they learn about it and why this administration refused to supply enough troops to make sure that Iraq would be stable ~ you can't make a fortune off war if it ends too quickly and this war was about profit, with a total disregard for the safety of either the troops or the Iraqi people.

[Selatius]

17. Yes, earn a living, but off of an illegal war?

Is there not a line in the sand with respect to this?

[The Magistrate]

19. Not Really, Sir

Not for a number of people who have no other lucrative skill, anyway. Those in the trade do not engage my sympathy, particularly: they are on their own look out as regards consequences they may encounter, and there are certainly some who couldhe kindly regarded as rabid. But the trade itself does not partricularly trouble me. That the government is contracting privately at great cost and crony profits for services uniformed personnel should be performing botyers me somewhat, but that is an objection to the bosses, not the employees.

[Robbien]

11. What bothers me is that Blackwater was used instead of National Guard

or the Reserves. Blackwater is getting $30 million for work in NO which could be done alot cheaper using our own military. No wonder there is no money left over for reconstruction, either in NO or in Iraq/Afghanistan.

[Virginia Dare]

24. Mission Accomplished....n/t

[uppityperson]

15. I saw them in New Orleans mid-Sept.

it was a very scary place to be then, military, blackwater, curfews, checkpoints, "yes sir"ing all over the place.

[aikoaiko]

23. I know a couple of blackwater operators -- they are good guys

just trying to make a little money to pay down a mortgage, pay off a car, or take care of their family. While it was good money compared to the military, they didn't "get rich". They had some unique skills and experiences that made them very desirable for a short period of time. Yes, they could go back for more, but it is difficult work to sustain over long periods of time.

I don't begrudge them trying to make a few dollars in Iraq, Afghanistan, NOLA, or elsewhere.

[Canuckistanian]

25. And they're staying there until hurricanes are defeated

Their resolve is strong.