NYT: Blackwater gassed American soldiers

[kpete]

’05 Use of Gas by Blackwater Leaves Questions

..............

Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint.

“This was decidedly uncool and very, very dangerous,” Capt. Kincy Clark of the Army, the senior officer at the scene, wrote later that day. “It’s not a good thing to cause soldiers who are standing guard against car bombs, snipers and suicide bombers to cover their faces, choke, cough and otherwise degrade our awareness."

more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/10/32614/1088/39/434222
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/world/middleeast/10blackwater.html?ex=1200632400&en=8f91ea25849dc712&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

[rfranklin]

1. Capitalism! Free trade! No repercussions for corporations...

Blackwater should not suffer for spreading "democracy."

[goddess40]

2. Sure doesn't surprise me

and nothing will be done about it - unless the bush administration give blackwater a raise.

Edit: "decidedly uncool" what kind of bullshit response is that?

[shadowknows69]

10. How about "act of war" on the US military

If Iran gassed our troops it would be a smoking nuclear crater by now.

[RC]

3. Why can't our solders deem stuff like this an attack on them and respond

with all appropriate force?

[shadowknows69]

4. I agree, they should have let the copter get a safe distance

then called in the F-16's

[tsuki]

5. I am trying to read Blackwater, The Rise of the World's Most

Powerful Mercenary Army. I get angry, slam the book shut and walk away to return later. Erik Prince is a fascist pig son of privilege that needs to be frog marched to The Hague.

[malaise]

8. Bingo n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Those guys are such jokers ...

Those Blackwater guys crack me up. Tear gas your own people. Bwahaha.

They would be a hoot at my next tupperware and taser party.

[Bluebear]

7. "He gassed his own people!"

[shadowknows69]

9. Where have we heard that before?

Can we declare war on Blackwater as a terrorist organization yet?

[tsuki]

26. No, but I wish some other countries would. nt

[Echo In Light]

11. They were Goose Stepping during Katrina also

[shadowknows69]

13. I'd be dead if I lived there and they started playing Martial Law

My mouth would get me shot in a New York...um...Louisiana minute.

[SpiralHawk]

12. ""Move along, nothing to see here about my mercenary cronies." - Commander AWOL

"These Christofascist Republicon profiteering crusaders are totally cool with me. All you law-respecting types can just shut up and sit down. War is good for mercenary republicon profits."

- Commander AWOL

[shadowknows69]

14. I truly believe that Blackwaters purpose is to take over the US someday

for the Neo-Con/corporate empire while our real military is off (still) on some folly in the ME. All it will take is one attack, real or staged, and our country ceases to be.

[Echo In Light]

15. Chomsky would frame it as they'd be used to PROTECT the govt n/t

[shadowknows69]

17. And the government would frame it that they were there to protect us

We might think some of these nuts are illterate monsters but they've read. They've read every distopian book from PK Dick and Orwell to Wells and they're using them as field manuals.

[Echo In Light]

18. Chomsky is hoping to promote an underpinning of optimism. We CAN overcome

[shadowknows69]

19. Has he got a good plan for that I hope?

That doesn't involve me being disappeared or run over by a tank?

[Echo In Light]

20. He relies on how history shows that even in the face of overwhelming opposition people can overcome

The various forms of tyranny.

[kurth]

16. Now why didn't the soldiers shoot them down

Goddamn bastards.

[izzybeans]

21. Blackwater should be listed as a terrorist organization

and its mercenaries as enemy combatants. I mean if we were to truly be a nation that consistently applies its laws. Wouldn't this be considered a hostile act of war if it were any other entity? Somehow it is not subversive or a crime for american contractors to attack American soldiers. Fuck that.

[marmar]

22. The troops will probably be disciplined for "getting in the way of the gas"......

BushCo's Shock Doctrine plan for the USofA: Destroy it economically, socially, militarily, conceptually and emotionally.

[ThomWV]

23. Their mission is to guard diplomats - why would they have any gas at all?

Pistol and bullet proof vests I can understand, even machine guns, but not gas. You would not use it to protect someone who was in your custody. So why did they have it, where did they get it, who aproved its sale or issue to them in the first place?

[Blarch]

24. The military needs to send a message

and shoot these fuckers out of the sky.

[underpants]

25. That is a much better headline than the NYT did

Much more apt

well done kpete

[seemslikeadream]

27. BLOOD SUCKING MERCENARIES

NO ALLEGENCE TO COUNTRY ONLY TO MONEY

[Blue_Tires]

28. prepare yourselves

soon these friendly paras will be strolling the streets of your town in the interests of 'keeping order':argh:

[AzDar]

29. Jeebus.

:wow:

[I work for workers]

30. The thread title is kind of misleading.

The Blackwater guys didn't purposefully gas US Soldiers. They used the tear gas on nearby Iraqis for unclear reasons and the Soldiers were positioned near enough that the helicopter pushed the gas onto them.

[Pachamama]

31. OMG! Blackwater, a Contractor & private security service is using chemical weapons????

Holy sh*t...!!! How are these people allowed to have this stuff???? Where are the regulations? Controls?

They really are a mercenary force without any oversight or rules....

:scared: