MetaFilter posts tagged with blackwater

Justice is a first-person-shooter game.

Liquidwolf — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:53:41 -0800

Blackwater was cleared of guilt for the alleged unprovoked 2007 shootout which killed 17 Iraqis... for use of improper evidence in the case. A US federal judge has dismissed all charges against five guards from US security firm Blackwater over the killing of 17 Iraqis in 2007. As well as the 14 counts of manslaughter, they had faced 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.

Former Blackwater CEO Claims He was a CIA Operative

workerant — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:58:35 -0800

Blackwater (now known as Xe) has had a rough few years. The company, and its former CEO Erik Prince, have been the subject of allegations including murder, arms smuggling, child prostitution and wholesale massacre. Erik Prince has told Vanity Fair that he was a CIA operative and that someone has turned against him and "thrown him under a bus" by leaking his CIA associations to the public. He even compared his public outing to that of Valerie Plame. Mr. Prince has also been an outspoken and generous contributor to mostly-Republican political candidates. Previously on MeFi: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and many more.

Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan

Burhanistan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:18:28 -0800

Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan - by Jeremy Scahill [via]

The Scoop on Sewage

burnfirewalls — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:56:10 -0800

Crap Happens. "Three hundred million Americans head to the restroom multiple times a day. The amount of sludge produced staggers the mind—7 million dry tons per year and counting. And it’s not even just crap—it contains residues from everything else we put down the drain, from the detergent in your dishwasher to the chemicals used at the industrial plant down the street."

Invitation to a Beheading

zoomorphic — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:38:33 -0800

In the wake of allegations from ex-employees at Blackwater/Xe, founder Erik Prince is now under investigation for murdering federal informants. The federal investigation has strictly concealed the identities of the informants, as one ex-employee reports, "On several occasions after my departure from Mr. Prince's employ, Mr. Prince's management has personally threatened me with death and violence." The allegations from John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 (PDF) include incidents of sex trafficking, egregious treatment of Iraqi civilians (public beheadings, child prostitution, rewarding soldiers with the highest body counts), and dismissing negative mental health evaluations of Blackwater soldiers. Prince, says John Doe #2, allegedly sees himself as "a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe." [Previously]

"Me not being part of the equation reduces the 'X' on the thing."

grounded — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:22:43 -0800

Two weeks after re-christening his mercenary outfit with the inscrutable moniker Xe, Erik Prince steps down as CEO. This news amid layoffs, multiple lawsuits, criminal charges, a helicopter crash, contract losses and outright banishment. Meanwhile, Xe reaches out to new target markets. Nostalgic for the old days? The Blackwater Pro Shop still has gear!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

digaman — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:11:48 -0800

It's morning in America again -- but for the thousands of committed gay couples who got married in California [warning: Dan Fogelberg music, sweet visuals], the long nightmare of intolerance and hate is not yet over with the probable victory of Proposition 8. Supported by the anti-equality stances of Sarah Palin and "divinely" inspired others, and paid for by members of the Mormon Church and the mother of Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, many of the ads for Prop. 8 featured the faces of Obama and Joe Biden, who declared their opposition to the initiative but refused to support equal marriage rights for all, preferring to talk about "civil unions." Even excellent Democratic-leaning politics sites like Talking Points Memo were saturated with the deceptive ads, which overwhelmed those comparing the proposition to other forms of discrimination in California's history.

Isn't it a long way down?

adamvasco — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:32:33 -0800

Ain't this cute: The US State Dept. has outsourced a Private military contractor to investigate Blackwater. There are still some questions in the air for U.S. Investigations Services (USIS) regarding Ted Westhusing. There is Controversy In The Military; Will Anything Change? Remember that Military Rules Don't Apply when Outsourcing Fear. ( Related 1, 2, 3 ).

Blackwater: Our Stories

salishsea — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:33:33 -0800

The Blackwater USA weblog. A blogger sets up a blog for Blackwater so they can enter the conversation about their operations in Iraq.

License to Murder

Mr_Zero — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:47:01 -0800

The State Department has promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in last month's murder of 17 Iraqi civilians. Richard J. Griffin, the head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security which granted the immunity, announced his resignation effective last Thursday.

Oh Blackwater, keep on rollin', Mesopotamia moon won't you keep on shinin' on me.

scalefree — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:44:33 -0800

"Not associated with Blackwater USA." "Blackwater USA is not responsible for this site." "This is an independent site and is not affiliated with Blackwater USA." There's a new trend in the blogosphere, of anonymous people putting significant effort into creating blogs defending military contractor Blackwater USA. Just another bunch of passionate amateur fans showing Old Media how to report a story, or a calculated Astroturf campaign by a well-heeled PR firm? Maybe these guys know.

We don't need no steeenkin' license!

spock — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:03:44 -0800

"That's not what we meant by the 'improving the security of the Iraqi people' benchmark." At least the Wonkette comments are humorous.

Pink panther in Iran

specialk420 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:01:27 -0800

Is now captured Robert A. Levinson a spy? a government agent?
Perhaps someone on non-official cover (NOC)? or just a guy doing some research for a book in Iran. The WaPo cuts through the mumbo jumbo here.

Blackwater: Coming Home To Roost

mk1gti — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 09:49:51 -0800

Blackwater: Coming Home To Roost Blackwater and other mercenary companys run rampant in Iraq, making up the second largest military group in Iraq, outnumbering all other military forces combined. Now they are in New Orleans with no restrictions on use of firearms, seizure of property, taking of life. They are now bidding on security contracts with the U.S. Border Patrol. They could be coming to your city next, to your office building to maintain security. Has all of this 'Homeland Security' finally gone too far?

"deputized" by the Louisiana governor

dash_slot- — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 18:37:06 -0800

Blackwater: Now in New Orleans. "As the threat of forced evictions now looms in New Orleans and the city confiscates even legally registered weapons from civilians, the private mercenaries of Blackwater patrol the streets openly wielding M-16s and other assault weapons. This despite Police Commissioner Eddie Compass' claim that "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons.""

Is Bremer running scared?

insomnia_lj — Tue, 08 Jun 2004 03:56:26 -0800

Is Bremer running scared? Chris Neidrich was one of those who died on Sunday when a carefully planned ambush by seven vehicles attacked a Blackwater security convoy headed to Baghdad Airport, killing four and wounding three. Neidrich also guarded Bremer's motorcade.
The day after the attack on Bremer, the following security bulletin was released:

Effective immediately and until further notice, all CPA ground movement to/from Baghdad International Airport is prohibited. Exceptions for mission critical movements may be requested from Force Protection at DSN.

Is the U.S. military incapable of securing 2 1/2 miles of road from the Green Zone to Baghdad Airport, or has a political decision been made to not guard the road, thereby reducing the risk of military casualties. In other words, is Bremer scared, or is Bush?