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Prince of Darkness: Blackwater is Bad for Service Members
by Jen Hogg | Fri, 10/05/2007 - 6:58pm
Of course when Erik Prince, top executive at Blackwater, appeared before Congress he stated that Blackwater personnel have acted appropriately even though the truth about that statement is as murky as the name of the company. What you may not know is that the Congress was not allowed to ask any questions about exactly what Blackwater has been doing in Iraq, particularly the string of shootings that prompted Al Maliki to be publicly rebuked by both Bush and Rice when he stated he wanted Blackwater out of the country he is supposedly the leader of. When you are the leader of a country you get to decide if mercenary armies are free to roam your land. When the American government is the ruler of your country and you are a puppet leader you do not get to decide if mercenary armies get to roam your land. When Eric Prince says that everything in Iraq is fine he is referring specifically to his paycheck. The worth of his company depends on the war continuing and it has in fact skyrocketed since 9/11. Trust me, if one guy is doing it there are lots more. It’s like a pile of sugar with a line of ants following up right behind except the sugar is a mix of taxpayer money and the blood of both Americans and Iraqis. Prince also noted that although he personally "made more than $1 million" in 2006, he is "not a financially driven guy." Blackwater, begun as a training facility in North Carolina in 1997 after Prince left the SEALs, has won about $1 billion in federal government contracts since 2001 -- more than three-quarters of that in the last two years. Not to mention strong Republican ties, being a conservative Christian (Calling “thou shalt not kill”,….. “thou” where are you…. why does “thou” always disappear when you need him?) and coming from a wealthy family. Sorry to burst the bubble but the American Dream comes easier to certain types of people. But don’t worry, rather than sweating you ass off in Iraq for the Army’s pay you could be making at LEAST $80,000 for the same work as a contractor in Iraq. Why re-up when you could at least double your money to do the same job AND get more time at home!! So how do I know this? Phony soldier that I am? Well apparently leaving the military due to opposition to the war in Iraq was not on my resume on Monster.com and I got this jewel. Just take a look at the list of jobs offered over at CEAS,LLC and tell me if we don’t have a shadow Army working in Iraq that is stealing money from soldiers and Marines. Job Opportunities in Iraq (straight from CEAS.US) • Administrative Assistant
WOW! Look at that list of jobs. By hiring outside people to do all that what is left for the Army and Marines??? Never fear, there are plenty of positions left; like security and infantry. Just ask Eric, since Blackwater personnel have acted appropriately enough to help our soldiers get shot at there will be enough upheaval to require your presence for at least another 10 years. Talk about job security. After all, The Washington Post says military reports from the scene of the September 16 shooting show guards with Blackwater USA opened fire without provocation and used excessive force against Iraqi citizens. So is Eric Prince lying, just trying to keep his paycheck or inept? Either way he doesn’t deserve a dime more of money that could be used to give our service members the health care they need or allow Iraqi’s to rebuild their own infrastructure with their own people. They don’t need any contractors and neither do we. |