Blackwater: From Iraq to New Orleans - Mercenaries
truthout: Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
"This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq."
Blackwater mercenaries are some of the most feared professional killers in the world and they are accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences. Their presence on the streets of New Orleans should be a cause for serious concern for the remaining residents of the city and raises alarming questions about why the government would allow men trained to kill with impunity in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to operate here. Some of the men now patrolling the streets of New Orleans returned from Iraq as recently as 2 weeks ago. Read more
From Blackwater Website:
Blackwater USA responds to the call for assistance in the Gulf region.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 01, 2005
BLACKWATER JOINS HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT!
This morning (September 1, 2005), Blackwater USA joined the ongoing relief effort in the Gulf Region devastated by Hurricane Katrina by dispatching a SA-330J Puma helicopter to help assist in evacuating citizens from flooded areas.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Erik Prince stated, "At this time, all Americans should band together and assist our countrymen who have been struck by this natural disaster."
The following services are available:
# Airlift Services
# Security Services [db:!!!]
# Communication Support
# Crowd Control
# Humanitarian Support Services [db:!!!]
# Logistics and Transportation Service
"This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS (Continental United States)," a heavily armed Blackwater mercenary told us as we stood on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. "We're much better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq."
Blackwater mercenaries are some of the most feared professional killers in the world and they are accustomed to operating without worry of legal consequences. Their presence on the streets of New Orleans should be a cause for serious concern for the remaining residents of the city and raises alarming questions about why the government would allow men trained to kill with impunity in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to operate here. Some of the men now patrolling the streets of New Orleans returned from Iraq as recently as 2 weeks ago. Read more
From Blackwater Website:
Blackwater USA responds to the call for assistance in the Gulf region.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 01, 2005
BLACKWATER JOINS HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT!
This morning (September 1, 2005), Blackwater USA joined the ongoing relief effort in the Gulf Region devastated by Hurricane Katrina by dispatching a SA-330J Puma helicopter to help assist in evacuating citizens from flooded areas.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Erik Prince stated, "At this time, all Americans should band together and assist our countrymen who have been struck by this natural disaster."
The following services are available:
# Airlift Services
# Security Services [db:!!!]
# Communication Support
# Crowd Control
# Humanitarian Support Services [db:!!!]
# Logistics and Transportation Service
posted by exoplanet at 1:28 PM
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