Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) Urges Passage of the Stop Outsourcing Security (SOS) Act

[babylonsister]

On Democracy Now! today~

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/08/1450208


As Blackwater Is Implicated in Another Deadly Shooting in Iraq, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) Urges Passage of the Stop Outsourcing Security (SOS) Act


In a Democracy Now! interview, Rep. Jan Schakowsky calls for the withdrawal of all guards with the firms Blackwater, DynCorp and Triple Canopy over the next six months from Iraq and Afghanistan. Today's Washington Post reports: "Last Feb. 7, a sniper employed by Blackwater USA, the private security company, opened fire from the roof of the Iraqi Justice Ministry. The bullet tore through the head of a 23-year-old guard for the state-funded Iraqi Media Network, who was standing on a balcony across an open traffic circle. Another guard rushed to his colleague's side and was fatally shot in the neck. A third guard was found dead more than an hour later on the same balcony. Eight people who responded to the shootings -- including media network and Justice Ministry guards and an Iraqi army commander -- and five network officials in the compound said none of the slain guards had fired on the Justice Ministry." That from the Washington Post.

This comes as a new Congressional measure is calling for the speedy removal of hundreds of armed private military contractors from Iraq. On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois introduced a bill that would withdraw all guards with the firms Blackwater, DynCorp and Triple Canopy over the next six months.

Each company is paid an estimated one point two billion dollars to guard U.S. officials in Iraq. The private military industry has come under unprecedented scrutiny following the September killing of 17 Iraqis by Blackwater guards. Under Schakowsky's proposal, the initial removal would be followed by a full withdrawal of an estimated forty-eight thousand armed contractors by 2009.

Congressmember Schakowsky has been one of the leading Congressional critics of the private military industry. She joins me now here in Washington, DC. Welcome to Democracy Now!

* Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Democratic Congresswoman from Illinois. She introduced the Stop Outsourcing Security (S.O.S.) Act Wednesday that would phase out the use of private military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Lex]

1. I like her a lot. I saw her speak

a few years back at the March for Women's Lives in DC and she was fiery and dynamic and impressive. :thumbsup:

[williesgirl]

2. k&r

[ladjf]

3. Great idea. Rep. Jan Schakowsky is a person that I wish was

running for President.