Will Blackwater Be Rehired?

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Time Magazine

Regardless of the outcome of various legal proceedings against Blackwater, the controversial security firm potentially faces a massive business setback this coming May. That's when its State Department contract to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq comes up for renewal, and its hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the company are no longer a sure thing in light of the legal and political repercussions of two recent incidents in which Blackwater guards allegedly killed Iraqis.

A Washington, D.C., grand jury is currently hearing evidence involving one of the episodes. And if the U.S. were to bring criminal indictments against Blackwater personnel, many observers believe it could jeopardize the contract's renewal and further undermine the company's already shaky status in Iraq.

The first of the two incidents occurred on Christmas Eve 2006, when a reportedly drunk Blackwater staffer allegedly killed an Iraqi guard inside Baghdad's Green Zone. The second occurred on Sept. 16, 2007, when Blackwater guards protecting a vehicle convoy may have killed as many as 17 Iraqis in a firefight. That bloody episode has strained relations between Washington and Baghdad and caused elements within the Iraqi government to demand that Blackwater be expelled from the country.

Major obstacles stand in the way of indictments, however. In the case of the Christmas Eve shooting, a senior law enforcement official told TIME that Justice Department prosecutors are having difficulty finding a legal basis to prosecute former Blackwater contractor Andrew Moonen, who was fired by Blackwater and flown out of Iraq the day after the shooting."Its a legal mess," says the official, citing uncertainty about the application of U.S. law for an alleged crime committed in Iraq, as well as the status of an Iraqi statute promulgated soon after the U.S. invasion designed to shelter contractors from prosecution.

Moonen's lawyer said he believed investigators were still gathering evidence in the case despite the legal hurdles.



Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1706121,00.html

---

Democrats in Congress damn well need to find a way to make sure Blackwater is cut out of government contracts!

[begin_within]

1. If this country has any sense of decency, then Blackwater will be fired.

But I'm not holding my breath.

[bluesbassman]

3. Here is how it will play out.

Prince will be the fall guy, take the "blame", then step down to "pursue other interests" and spend more time with the family. Then it will be business as usual with the "new and improved" Blackwater.

These guys disgust me. War and conflict are a sad element of our existence here on Earth and it's probably something we'll deal with for ever, but mercenaries are beyond contempt.

[Sam Ervin jret]

2. Hey, I just saw on you tube, the new "News Paper "of RECORD that Blackwater's people are taking

STEROIDS!!!!!!!


Finally !!!! Something the congress gives a shit about!

The hell with the murder or the taking of our rights or the stealing of our money and come on RAPE?

BUT THEY"RE TAKEN STEROIDS!! LIKE THE BASEBALL PLAYERS!! LET'S GET THEM HEARINGS GOIN'

[AndyTiedye]

4. If Grey Water is What Comes Out of the Sink, Black Water Must Be What Comes Out of the Toilet

[elehhhhna]

6. In the world of plumbing and insurance, that's EXACTLY what it is called.

[AndyTiedye]

8. Well It's Time to Flush the Blackwater Down the Sewer Where it Belongs

[tom_paine]

5. The Praetorian Guard/Brownshirts aren't going anywhere. It's all talk.

As if I lived in 1930s Germany, which in many ways besides violence and imminent personal danger we DO (don't think I am not grateful for this little bit of extra time before Crunch Time), I cannot believe in the demise of any part of the Nazi-Bushies until I see it's demise.

It's all talk, and the Bushies only respond to action and nothing else.

[Javaman]

7. yup. they were just waiting for the smoking bodies to clear.

and they are out of the bullseye.

[tom_paine]

11. Don't forget their American rape victims to tesify and then get out of the spotlight

Drugged, raped and then threatened while locked in a shipping container.

Oh well, like every other crime and atrocity by the Bushies...down the memory hole!

[RuleOfNah]

9. I thought they might end up rented in Paraguay.

You know, at that Bush/Moon pad.

[EFerrari]

10. They have another brand -- I think it's Greystone.

They're not going anywhere.