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Report: Indictment Drafted In Blackwater Shootings
Federal prosecutors have drafted an indictment against 6 guards working for Blackwater USA, who were involved in deadly shootings last year of 17 Baghdad civilians, according to the Associated Press.
But it's not yet certain that charges will be filed. AP reports:
The draft is being reviewed by senior Justice Department officials but no charging decisions have been made. A decision is not expected until at least later this month, people close to the case said.
The shootings by Blackwater guards, which witnesses described as an unprovoked attack, took place at a busy Baghdad intersection in September of last year.
Earlier this week, the company was fined by the State Department for shipping automatic weapons to Iraq without permits.
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Josh
Zachary
There is no greater threat to our freedom then this armed corporation.
November 14, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not even the corrupt and over-secretive administration that not only allowed this corporation to survive, but thrive? Not even the administration the oversaw the erosion of our civil rights, the denial of due process and equal protection under the law? Not even the administration that shredded the Bill of Rights and Constitution right in front of us as we did NOTHING TO STOP THEM?
Oh, right! We did do something! We voted!!
I think blaming Blackwater is naive. We The People have a hand in this through inaction. The Congress has a hand in this through cowardice. The Executive has a hand in this through an unwillingness to provide mandated self-oversight (read DOJ being subsumed by politics).
Blackwater is a symptom of a corrupt and corrosive administration unwilling to regulate itself not a cause of freedom's disappearance.
November 14, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right! We removed this administration, but Blackwater lives on. They are a clear and present danger. What part of that is blame?
November 14, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
None of it but I needed to say all that before it melted my keyboard ;-)
November 14, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hear, hear. Sure, these guys are armed and dangerous and at the very least should be locked up for a spell. But busting only them reminds me too much of the official response to Abu Ghraib -- we've punished the few bad apples, nothing to see here, people, move along. I seriously doubt that justice will prevail up the chain of command, where it belongs. See: upcoming blanket pardons. Horton has a worthwhile article in this month's Harper's on how to pursue our war criminals.
November 14, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
There are a lot of people who should be going to jail. But it'
s operations like Blackwater that can defend these criminals that need to be removed first. They are the most urgent matter, but the the most important.
November 14, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is well past time the press did its job in the manner it used to, rather than allow itself to be co-opted & manipulated into chasing red herrings.
National TV, both network & cable, are main sources of news to busy people & families. Yet they chase silly, stupid, sensationalized stories fed to them like a dog gets a bone to chase.
While TV's commentators chase lipstick on a pig & other ridiculous political silliness, our government was trying to put its collective fingers in the dike to keep the financial world from imploding. Most people had no warning to make decisions to move funds out of equities.
When will the press investigate & map out the interconnections among Christian Conservatives that have amassed vast lobbying & political power? This didn't just happen overnight - its been growing its tentacles into our government for over 25 years!
Blackwell got its contracts by way of Eric Prince & his parents, Edgar & Lois Prince, being deeply connected with the Council for National Policy (CNP), a group that meets 3x/yr IN SECRET!
CNP's membership includes 191 members of Congress and the major Christian Evangelical & fundamentalist Religious groups that have formed The Faith & Values Coalition (Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Family Research Council & the New Apostolic Reformation. Other interconnected members include conservative women's groups - Eagle Forum, Leadership for Women, & Concerned Women of America.
Most of these organizations started soon after Timothy LaHaye started CNP in 1981 when Reagan was swept into office (huge landslide). They all jumped on the bandwagon using abortion as a wedge issue (a mighty Christian sword!). Edgar & Lois Prince got involved as well (he died, but Lois remains deeply involved through women's groups).
Do you really think Sarah Palin came out of nowhere? Don't be so gullible! Sarah has been trained - drinking the same kool-aid - for over 20 yrs by the same methods.
The mainstream media still has more power to shape attitudes than the underground (52.1% of those voting for McCain believe Obama is muslim).
How do you think Newt was able to tap so many to carry out his "Contract With America" in 1994? Hillary Clinton was vilified for commenting on the "vast right wing conspiracy" in the mid-90's. She obviously knew what she was talking about & the mainstream press did not. Why not???
The press always plays along to get along for a comment or a story until it is too late. Then they jump on the dead horse. The people need them to be ahead of the ball, not behind it!
Time for the press to get a clue, and WAY past time for the press to change, too!
November 14, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the heads-up on CNP -- I'd not heard of them before. Hardly a surprise that they exist, but good to know the name of their creepy organization.
November 14, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
While the media villified Hillary, I never did. The mainstream media is right wing and the only response to the mainstream media's propaganda is the Internet. Of course, the Internet needs to be viewed with discretion. People can lie here as easily as they do on air. But it's one person, one post at a time, until the Reich figures out a way to create false entries.
November 14, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is going to happen to Blackwater after Obama is sworn in?
Are contracts going to be cancelled, or will it be business as usual?
Any informed guesses out there?
November 15, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink