The Man Behind Blackwater

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  • Posted By: WillHe25 @ 10/15/2007 1:20:13 PM

    I do not appreciate the comment about green and young National Guardsmen! In the area we were in Iraq, which was a very hostile area, we did a better job than the active army.. In my platoon alone each soldier had and average of 8 years active duty. Most were ex ranger or sappers. I noticed that there were so many young people in active service, it was crazy to seee the amount of guys under 20 over there in active service.

  • Posted By: kennymo306 @ 10/15/2007 1:16:27 PM

    i would work for him. i'm too old and busted up to be an operative, but intell, logistics, training and support are fine. the job in iraq and afganistan are not in the scope of training to the masses of soldiers, therefore more troops would be hurt. As for the action under investigation. Do you believe that the bad guys wouldn't fire on the convoy to elict the action hoping for civillian injuries. Without this type of security force protecting the leaders and diplomats, we would run out of policy makers pretty quick. Remember the best defense is a strong offense. In this case a strong, well armed and well trained offense.

  • Posted By: wiermank @ 10/15/2007 11:56:26 AM

    It amazes me that christians, jews, islamists,etc. all believe that god is somehow on their side. I find it impossible to believe that a supreme being would support one group of zelots and politicians over another group of the same. Anyone claiming to have a direct line to a supreme being is ignorant, dilusional, or both.

    • Posted By: bfranklin @ 10/15/2007 12:52:36 PM

      Atheism or Non-Theistic belief is the only way to save Americas Civil liberties. We need to get Jesus and Judeo/Christian belief influences out of our Government and quickly.

  • Posted By: Tara 7 @ 10/15/2007 10:03:52 AM

    Isn't this article a news article? Why is it then accompanied by a false, self-serving piece of audio propaganda by Blackwater?? Why is Newsweek giving a free (or even paid) forum to this merecenary organization with such criminal track record in disguise of news and analysis??

    • Posted By: tticd @ 10/15/2007 12:06:57 PM

      From what I've heard from enlisted buddies, Blackwater comes through and erases weeks of work in one or two seconds. They aren't helping win the hearts and minds of the locals and make the job harder for everyone else. I'd say we support the guys that actually are in the military and yank these mercs out of there: America has a professional military, the best. We don't need these guys. At all.

      • Posted By: onesawb @ 10/15/2007 12:43:43 PM

        It's obvious that you have no independent knowledge of your own,I'd like to suggest that until you know what you're talking about, that you refrain from spouting. I've just retired after 24 years service in the proffessional military you spoke of where a great percentage of them came from burger flipping jobe and when discharged, will return to those same jobs. Our military has few committed professionals and without contractors would be sending many more bodybags home. A great number of the enlisted personnel are totally incompetant and unable to defend themselves.

  • Posted By: no0ne_007 @ 10/15/2007 11:56:31 AM

    "It is true that the Blackwater Web site has a "Chaplain Corner" with a distinctly evangelical message."

    This is what I find ironic by the religious right... Blackwater personal are trained in killing people, but as long as it is in the name of God, it is ok? (More people were killed during the Christian crusades, then in both world wars put together)

    I like your Christ, I dislike your Christians,
    for your Christians are unlike your Christ

    • Posted By: lumberjack @ 10/15/2007 12:42:52 PM

      I watched more than an hour of Blackwater hearings. I never heard Prince say anything about being on a crusade. Don't leap to conclusions. He'd be the first to admit that his mission, though profitable, is slightly less than divine.

  • Posted By: tortuga_hombre @ 10/15/2007 10:18:22 AM


    Since when does the USA need a private army, when it has the Marines, the Army, and the Navy. A private army is a mercenary force no matter what you call it. We need to disband it immediately and put armed forces where they belong, in the charge of trained military men that answer to the military order.

    It is expensive, and serves as a private arm of force for people that pay it. How can that be a good thiing if its ethical and honorable things we desire?

    • Posted By: hideousdwarf @ 10/15/2007 12:28:57 PM

      Maybe so, but are you willing to oh...reinstate the draft? A volunteer military will always be fairly small. I do not like Blackwater but I do recognize that we do not have the men or the means to do the job in Iraq like we should do.

  • Posted By: bfranklin @ 10/15/2007 12:08:20 PM

    If America continues on this Theocratic road, it will spell the end of freedom for ALL.
    America is the last best hope for a truly free and open society.
    Christians in America, not science, provide the PROOF that Christianity is a doomed failure, Christians in America crave for war and despise their enemies, they selectively choose which parts of the Bible to embrace, the Bible is nothing more than paradox ridden joke meant to paralyze its believers. In it, universal truths that belong to all men are trampled in the name of blind faith to the opportunistic scum.

  • Posted By: bfranklin @ 10/15/2007 12:02:59 PM

    Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: fanofman @ 10/15/2007 11:45:18 AM

    I would just like to toss in my perspective: Just like our wonderful military, know one here is blaming the individual employees of Blackwater, but instead are really blaming the administration for using a private army in a role the troops should be managing. It emphasizes two things in my mind: 1) the area is not safe to any non-Iraqi regardless of their mission, therefore we need a better solution( Iraqis, step up?), 2) The military (ours and Iraq's) are

  • Posted By: Chisolm @ 10/15/2007 11:43:29 AM

    If our agencies and troops weren't so restricted as to what they could do to get the job done, we wouldn't have to contract with private contractors. Thank heaven for Blackwater and those like them. If it wasn't for these type of companies the US would have a lot more casulties because extremists Iraq's respect and are frightened of Blackwater. If we cripple Blackwater and other private contractors now, the U.S. is in REAL trouble.

  • Posted By: Chisolm @ 10/15/2007 11:35:33 AM

    If our government agencies and troops weren't so restricted as to what they could do, we wouldn't have to contract with private contractors to get the job done. Thank heaven for Blackwater and companies like them. If it weren't for them, we'd have a lot more casulties.

  • Posted By: OldSoldier @ 10/15/2007 11:30:16 AM

    Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: Little Brat @ 10/15/2007 11:19:54 AM

    I think we should have Blackwater protecting our troops overseas. Seems they can get the security job done. Maybe they are the new target of the US Media, a sure kiss of death. No one has asked if the situation became hostile when the shootings happened in Iraq, but this is war. Maybe Newsweek needs to poll who has been the recipient of Blackwater security, any members of Congress or elected officials on their visits to Baghdad. I think I would welcome their security if I were in Iraq.

  • Posted By: kingpin @ 10/15/2007 11:08:14 AM

    I made a mistake and found myself reading this anecdotal left-wing stew of mostly unfounded gossip. . You people are so afraid of the thought of having to fight for your freedom that you'll try to destroy those who one day will no longer be able to protect you. Hey, have you guy's noticed that they cut peoples heads off, kill women and children for being from another tribe, or some two hundred year old feud,being a Christian, or
    any of a couple hundred more reasons. Have you ever seen a black, or sub-saharan african in a position of power or status in the arab,persian or central asian world? Nope. One day you anti-American soft anarchists
    will take this country down and your grandchildren will hate you for it. But you love this country. Sure

  • Posted By: MamaRemy @ 10/15/2007 11:06:32 AM

    The use of private forces, without restriction, without accountability, without planning, without thought to possible international ramifications, is simply one more indication of the overall lack of foresight, planning, execution, and ending of this engagement. To enter a long standing hot zone like this without consideration of possible, indeed, likely problems and escalation, is pure incompetence.

  • Posted By: Moandginger @ 10/15/2007 10:41:15 AM

    Wow! Mr. Prince heads up Blackwater, has unlimited finances courtesy of the Bush Kingdom and with
    exemption to all laws practically qualifies an independent nation. When will they be moving from
    NC to Saudi to beat the US taxes?

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