Blackwater: The Christian Right's Private Army

The ill-informed believe all they read, especially if it is perceived as bad, even better if it’s bad coming out of Iraq.

Blackwater is a top-notch security company that employees elite ex military personnel. I believe Blackwater acted correctly in the ambush recently that brought them to the forefront of the news. I know of no other security detail in Iraq that would have reacted in a different matter. The Iraqis are quick to place blame without knowing any of the facts, they quickly form opinions that many times prove to be untrue. If the Iraqi military or police had been with this convoy, it would have just been another headline. I do not know all the details however I would pla...

10-25-2007 1:33 PM

Civilians doing the job of military personnel.

Mercenaries. And if the U.S. has to rely so heavily on them, well there something wrong with the picture. And juts because they where ex-service members doesn't make these guys angels. Have you seen the war porn they put up in YouTube?

10-25-2007 1:34 PM

your an idiot

10-25-2007 1:49 PM

That was clever. How many hours did it take you to research that answer?

10-25-2007 1:49 PM

BTW, no I have not seen the video, I do not utilize UTube or porn sites, however what the hell does that have to do with loving your country?

And again you are dead wrong, these guys are not paid to fight, they are protective, not offensive, not a mercenary. I guess you consider our military mercenaries too, they actually do fight for money, their paychecks.

10-25-2007 1:51 PM

again, your an idiot!

10-25-2007 1:59 PM

Again you show yourself for what you are.

Really can't refute what I am saying, can you? Not everybody in the military is "payed to fight", they do a host of functions vital to organizations they are part off. One of them if convoy protection and garrison duty, the stuff that Blackwater is getting payed exorbitant amounts to do. But apparently you do not understand how the military functions and what mercenaries are. You are simply trying to defend your political faction with ad hominens. Good luck with that.

10-25-2007 2:34 PM

Blackwater is a top-notch security company ...

Not all the troops in Iraq would agree with you. I think it is in this interview that it is mentioned how Blackwater will throw months of work successfully building trust between the local population and U.S. military personnel only to have it blown by a convoy of Blackwater's intimidating, shooting and threatening. The locals do not know the difference between Blackwater and the U.S. and they do revenge attacks on the U.S. military personnel.

10-25-2007 3:14 PM

jatfla

Gee...I didn't know I had a earthly "private army"?

What I saw from the clip is a lot of "I believe....".

Hey, it's that person's *opinion*; nothing more. And it fits right in with the other anti-war, anti-Christian propaganda.
No surprises here considering the source. And just because a person *says* these things doesn't make him correct.

10-25-2007 3:27 PM

You know I would think that anti-war would be Christian. I guess I was wrong.

10-25-2007 3:33 PM

And it fits right in with the other anti-war, anti-Christian propaganda...

Anti-war I would agree, but you then attach anti-Christian. What here is anti-Christian? And who here then is pushing propaganda?

10-25-2007 4:46 PM

Not all the troops in Iraq would agree with you

You may be right, however the number that would think of Blackwater as anything but professional would be quite small if any. Armchair generals are a dime a dozen but if you have not been in Iraq, you really shouldn't try and second guess and make judgement calls on those that do on a daily basis.

How about giving the good guys a break every once and a while. I know that prospect is outragous for some how actually hate them but believe it or not they are on our side.

Remember many prejudged the Duke Lacross Players based upon false accusations.

The far-left needs to realize there is a fictional world a...

10-25-2007 4:53 PM

Oh.... I see you know the truth and these "sites" do not. Interesting. And what makes these guys the good guys? Have you actually thought about that? And for the record, they are not on my side, since I am not an American.

Also why bring Media Matters into this, it seems that showing and airing the actual clips from the talk-hate radio media sphere would be useful as well as factual, unless you have a problem with....errm facts.

10-25-2007 5:00 PM

...considers the US Military the right's...

This is one advantage of a draft, all segments of society are then included in the ranks. Not just the militarists and the poor. The military is perhaps over populated by militarists. If you consider this right... there are leftist militarists though.

10-25-2007 5:02 PM

jatfla

Km...perhaps I'm starting to get a little punchy. It appeared that according to this person, the Christian Right *owned* this 'army'. And this person is labeled a "Christian supremacist" with a "Crusader" mentality attached to those who belong to the organization.

Just plain weird. I think the writer was creating a straw man. The problem is *Christian* is bound up with that straw.

ratilfar....Christian is not necessarily synonymous with anti-war. It is more true of the more liberal wing of Christianity. Don't take that to mean that I believe Christians can bring in the "Kingdom of God" or that I support the Crusades mentality of the Middle Ages. I definitely do not.

10-25-2007 5:09 PM

Well the focus on the "Christian" thing is mine, not the commenter. These words were toward the end of the interview in which the the amount of "Christianess" of the organization really did not get a whole lot of attention. In fact less than I thought it should hence my choice clips and title. There is some reason to suspect that the organization has, what its leaders consider, a Christian calling. Some of that evidence is offered in the transcript. This in no way, on my part nor did I think on the part of the author, mean that Christians were bad or at fault. There are many, in fact, that would question their form of Christianity as being truly Christian. But I'll leave that to a Christian to address.

10-25-2007 5:18 PM

Jaftla

Well I would say that ins not a "left or right" interpretation, but rather a mainline protestant/catholic view. Except for Revelation and that bit in the market (which I agree with), what I remember of my Bible (and I had my dominionist phase that when I was younger), self-sacrifice and peace where center pieces of the religion. It was not until the Romans made it their state religion that things really change. Just War is not a biblical (New Testament) concept, it is a Church concept.

10-25-2007 8:04 PM

Geshizar

Heres a story of Backwater during Hurricane Katrina,.Armed to the teeth and bitching about the $350 a day per diem.

Blackwater Down
By Jeremy Scahill

10-26-2007 1:14 AM

Blackwater Shoot People For Sport

10-26-2007 5:08 AM

dirish

OK kids, settle down. Private industry can't use the US military to protect the re-building of Iraq. Thats what Blackwater and people like them are for. The crazy stuff that happens there makes for alot of tradgedy on both sides of the fence and its sad, but its worse to take a regime like Sadam's out, and not fix a the buildings we bombed and try to stimulate a new economy for the Iraqi's. Theres no reason to bring the whole "Crusader" or "Christian" thing into this at all. Thats what the insurgents are doing.
All of you have made valid points about the issue and now your argueing minutia. As a veteran myself and the father of an Iraqi War soldier I'm gunna shoot first and ask questions la...

10-26-2007 7:40 AM

dirish,

Thank you for your comment. I want to clarify that the Iraqis, for the most part, do not see a difference between the much more aggressive private armies and the U.S. military. Thus if Blackwater mercenaries are shooting up a town, the regular guys pay for it.

Also, the "whole crusader thing" is in reference to Blackwater and what motivates corporate, not the U.S. military and not necessarily the mercenaries hired by Blackwater. Just Blackwater corporate. It is irresponsible (if this accusation is true) not to discuss it.

10-26-2007 8:24 AM

Geshizar

How did we ever manage Two world wars and the rebuilding of Europe and Japan with out Blackwater?

10-27-2007 12:51 AM

dirish

kmcolo- OK- the article states that Mr. Prince is a Christian Fascist, or Supremest. I'm sorry. I agree, after I think about it, that if he wasn't looked at, it would be irresponsible. I can't help but wonder though, if he was a Muslim or a Hindu even a Dungeon Master- would it have saved any lives? I don't pretend to know his or anyone else's private agenda, but jobs and rebuilding are the result of the work that is going on there and those people need that. ( at least that's what we're told ) I do apologize if I come off more arrogant than I deserve, again every one here made good and valid points about this, yet the opinions are diametrically opposed, and thoughtful intelligent people ar...

10-27-2007 1:24 AM

pokkets

A troop that owes it's allegiance to the highest bidder for the term of the contract.
Where killing is an occupation. Where a 'detail' is programmed to operate like a machine.
With the likely associated emotional repression, they are all primed for a paranoid psychotic episode, where the instinct for survival can turn everyone into an enemy. Because they know they are treated like inventory, and are disposable. Emotions are not welcome in a battle.

10-27-2007 2:19 AM

And not all of Blackwater personnel come from the U.S., many are coming from South Africa, Chile and Colombia, thus acting as mercenaries. The many of these nations have poor human rights records and the South Africans are well know to act as mercenaries across the African continent.

10-27-2007 7:38 AM

dirish,

Thank you again for your comments and insights.

I agree with you. With respect to this war, how it was started and executed are real problems. I don't think we've yet fully appreciated the level of corruption, ill will and self-centeredness with which this war was sold and fought. We need to understand how we got into something like this and see if there is not an institutional response that can be placed upon the system. It does occur to me this sort of thing seems to happen when the executive branch operates in secrecy and without much congressional oversight. In these terms the whole Blackwater and Mr. Prince thing are just noise.

Mr. Price could be a Pagan wizard as f...

10-27-2007 3:36 PM

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." - Sinclair Lewis

10-28-2007 12:13 AM

dirish

kmcolo- I feel like such a tool for saying this, but fascism has already appeared and struck camp here in America.
Sadly we few that think "respect" is the best foreign policy tool are called hippies and fools and God knows what- I don't know- I'm not "in the loop" on capitol hill so I don't know the real picture, I know what we discuss and what I see in the media, but are the folks in power really devoted to people like Jerry Falwell who would publicly denounce "Teletubbies" for being gay? or Pat Robertson that (against every Christian tenant ) and on a national TV broadcast suggests we should nuke that Hugo Chavez guy? Or who was the guy that said "If I don't raise a ridiculous amount of m...

10-31-2007 11:52 PM

Better hope they don't decide our country is headed in the wrong direction.

It is.

11-1-2007 12:08 AM

Blackwater is not a mercenary force, they are a protective force and
you can sleep tight, knowing a few ex Navy Seals and Special Forces are
not planning to overthrow our country.

Simply, and well stated.

A mercenary is one committed to fighting STRICTLY for money,NOT LOYALTY, regardless of flag or cause.
This does not apply to these guys and if ratil is getting HALF as tired of desperately saying "mercenary" and persisting in its vlidity, as many of us are of seeing it said, I expect it's wearing on him.
If one is to badmouth, from the gate, ANY style of paid security in a "war" zone, then work to stop the protesting in front of recruitment centers.
Do something, ANYTHING, ...

11-1-2007 12:20 AM

. But apparently you do not understand how the military functions and what mercenaries are.

You don't either, pal.
These guys have a history of a devotion to the U.S.
A MERCENARY TAKES HIS MONEY FROM WHOEVER PAYS HIM REGARDLESS OF CAUSE OR LOYALTY ! !
Whatever the equivelant of adhominem is, where it's directed at the subject OF the topic, rather than the one you're talking to, just to demean them without being specifically and sufficiently aware of facts,-----this is what you're doing. Leaving you little room to call "adhominem".

11-1-2007 12:35 AM

Heres a story of Backwater during Hurricane Katrina

Jeremy Scahill
The Nation
truthout.org -------------
What do you expect?
And it was not a per diem of $350. That was the salary.
With the cops mostly AWOL they had to have security. Your whole report there was written by those who wanted to make them look bad. Why reference theese goofy sources?

11-1-2007 12:37 AM

"mercenary"

Semantics. They are an army for hire. Their *loyalties* lie with whoever pays them and the US government (the taxpayer) is paying them handsomely. Had true nationalistic loyalty been their first priority instead of money, these mercenaries (yes, I said mercenaries) would have joined the regular military and helped out their countrymen who battle and die every day for a fraction of the pay.

*Loyalty* my arse.

11-1-2007 12:44 AM

but you then attach anti-Christian. What here is anti-Christian? And who here then is pushing propaganda?

Read your own CLIP.

11-1-2007 12:51 AM

Somehow I put in a wrong link earlier. It was supposed to be this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2752979222404168783&q=blacwater+shoot+for+sport&total=5&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

11-1-2007 12:59 AM

Blackwater Shoot People For Sport

You are only making a satirical joke here, right? That video is a biased, immature unbalanced take on everything they spoke of . Misrepresentation. Overdramatization, too.

11-1-2007 1:04 AM

(if this accusation is true)

11-1-2007 1:04 AM

No misrepresentation. This is just one of innumerous so-called "trophy videos" posted round on the net by contractors themselves, to boast of their *doings*.

If there is any bias or immaturity, it emanates from themselves.

11-1-2007 1:13 AM

I feel like such a tool for saying this, but fascism has already appeared and struck camp here in America.

dIrish
Man, I am in awe of your family's service and I admire the way you entered into the conversation up there, but,.............you just bought into it. If I'm not mistaken, you bought into the b.s. here.

11-1-2007 1:19 AM

It was supposed to be this video:

What the hell was that?
Nothing that clearly meant anything. I take practically nothing from that.

11-1-2007 1:42 AM

I take practically nothing from that.

Hee hee, it would have surprised me if you did. *LOL*

Anyway, two official investigations are / (were?) being held regarding that video, so maybe the top brass think it's a bit more serious than you do. Hmm? Maybe?

11-1-2007 1:49 AM

They are, in case you wanted to know, the British Foreign Office and the company connected to the video, Aegis Defense Services, who are under contract to the United States.

What the hell was that?

So! To answer your question. That was a perfect example of why we cannot have hired mercenaries running around shooting people, when they have no rules or "codes of conduct" to follow and no accountability for crimes committed.

11-1-2007 1:54 AM

Here is a link to a post with a few videos including the one above linked to above. Its from my blog, I think it puts everything into perspective.

Blackwater mercenaries promised immunity.

11-1-2007 1:55 AM

I just found this too:

"The videos were linked unofficially to Aegis Defense Services. Both the US State Department and Aegis conducted investigations into the videos, but the results of their inquiries have not been released."

Surprise, surprise! Wanna bet they got off Scott free?

11-1-2007 1:57 AM

I made a clip of my post with all the videos in it, for those who do not want to drive my sitemeter count up!

11-1-2007 1:57 AM

Thank you, ratilfar.

11-1-2007 2:04 AM