Never, ever do I want to see Blackwater or any other private military outfit deployed in my hometown. I don’t care if the sky is falling. They aren’t accountable to anyone but their corporate overlords.
They were in New Orleans during the aftermath of Katrina.
In an hourlong conversation I had with four Blackwater men, they characterized their work in New Orleans as "securing neighborhoods" and "confronting criminals." They all carried automatic assault weapons and had guns strapped to their legs. Their flak jackets were covered with pouches for extra ammunition.
When asked what authority they were operating under, one guy said, "We're on contract with the Department of Homeland Security." Then, pointing to one of his comrades, he said, "He was even deputized by the governor of the state of Louisiana. We can make arrests and use lethal force if we deem it necessary." (emphasis mine)
I don’t want to see them deployed in the USA for any reason whatsoever, especially after the latest revelations from Iraq.
Look at this story from the Huffington Post:
Would you want to meet a squad of these guys on your street corner?
"When they told me New Orleans, I said, 'What country is that in?'" he said. He wore his company ID around his neck in a case with the phrase Operation Iraqi Freedom printed on it. (emphasis mine)
Will they know or care if they are in America or Iraq? Are Blackwater’s employees/soldiers American citizens or are they foreigners? I’m not xenophobic, but would you want foreign soldiers with assault rifles patrolling your neighborhood? Can we really expect these mercenaries to obey the rule of law and/or stand up for the American way of life?
We must never tolerate their deployment on American soil again.
One could argue that they were helpful in New Orleans. Perhaps they were... but what if there were a few "incidents" unreported in the media? Would Blackwater cover it up to avoid bad press? Our military is at least in theory governed by the rule of law; dishonorable behavior is to be sought out and punished. Yet, we’ve seen how even our own military would cover up severe "misconduct". Why should we trust Blackwater at all to enforce the rule of law? Do they even know the law of the locality they are "patrolling"?
Mostly, I’m just ranting and whining. I don’t know what to do to stop this from happening should it ever even happen at all. I found this petition to stop Blackwater from constructing a new "base" in California.
Are there any other movements right now to prevent Blackwater’s deployment in the U.S.? Is it even legal to have deployed private mercenaries in Louisiana or in any future U.S. city or state?
What do you guys think? Usually I throw in a gratuitous poll here, but not tonight.