Isn't Blackwater a threat to the sovereignty of the United States?

[icymist]

What the hell is going on here? An army for hire owned by a corporation? And then I hear they were 'deployed' into New Orleans after Katrina!?! Is this not an army being raised that could/would become a threat to the sovereignty of the United States of America?

Who runs this 'corporation' and calls the 'shots'

[geardaddy]

Deadeye Dick Cheney.

[valerief]

2. Nah, it's whoever owns him and I'd guess that would be the

biggest shareholders of the five biggest corporations in the world.

[seemslikeadream]

1. yes and

they can stay in Iraq when our troops leave

[Lerkfish]

3. intentionally so.

if martial law is declared by the dictator tot, using mercenaries for Hire, MANY OF WHOM are foreign nationals, to enforce the orders will be less messy as the coup proceeds.

[shadowknows69]

4. Maybe some rich progressives should start a paramilitary outfit

independent army of the constitution or something. we could hire out to congress to issues supoenas and make sure people keep their hearing dates.

[EnviroBat]

14. Sign me up!

[bryant69]

5. They bill themselves a security service

Not as an army. I believe.

I also doubt they have the manpower or the hardware to take over the United States.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Rick Myers]

11. They CLAIM to have instant access to 22,000 'contractors'

They own about 20 aircraft, mostly STOLs and choppers.

[Solo_in_MD]

22. Not sure where you are getting your numbers but those would not all be combat types

[Solo_in_MD]

24. Dupe - deleted

[LiberalFighter]

6. They should pay a higher tax on their income because they are mercenaries

I'm talking about the employees too.

[Rick Myers]

18. The 'contractors' in Iraq pay NO TAXES...

[endarkenment]

7. wiki praetorian guards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_Guard

[Rick Myers]

8. Eric Prince is the CEO of Blackwater

His dad made millions in the auto parts business and was friends with Gary Bauer, et al. Eric continues to fund lots of reich-wing American Taliban causes.

Did you know Blackwater showed up after Katrina WITHOUT being called???

Read Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill. It will TERRIFY you!!!

[jobycom]

9. In exactly the way the Roman's hiring of the Germanic tribes was a threat.

The Romans could no longer fund their military since the rich had managed to avoid taxes, thus breaking the government bank. So the Romans hired various Germanic tribes to defend them against other Germanic tribes along the border. They paid them with promises and land. When the land ran out and the promises were broken, the Germanic tribes invaded, raped, pillaged, sacked Rome, and destroyed the Roman Empire in Europe.

Always a problem hiring mercenaries to defend your nation. At some point, they realize they can demand everything you have or take everything you have.

[endarkenment]

16. Not exactly.

The term 'mercenary' for blackwater is technically incorrect. Unlike the german mercenaries of rome, our private armies are generally domestic sourced: they are privateers not mercenaries.

It is a small point. The term mercenary has been debased to mean any private army.

The larger point is that the merc army represent an independent armed force outside the normal mechanisms and traditions of state control, and thus like the praetorian guards of rome they may eventually decide that for their own preservation and self interest they need to start having a say in who is emperor.

[jobycom]

21. A minor and imo mostly insignificant nuance. It ends the same. nt

[Whoa_Nelly]

10. Blackwater: The Book by Jeremy Scahill Investigative Journalist

I plan on getting this. What he said on yesterday's TDS about Blackwater Ops is more than intriguing; it's actually frightening how war and corporate have merged, and also how the Dems are not addressing this in setting a withdrawal time line. Scahill stated that if/hen US troops are withdrawn, the Blackwater Ops will still be present in even larger number than now, and that these mercenaries are already infiltrating Iran.

http://www.blackwaterbook.com/

[orleans]

12. i saw the guy who wrote blackwater on daily show last night

very creepy tale

dems trying to get troops out of iraq but no time line for contractors--basically the war will go on without the troops.

my god!

[icymist]

13. I heard somewhere that Blackwater has at least 150,000 troops.

I think this was on Amy Goodman or something. Anyway, at the time I thought,"My God! 150,000 troops?! That's more than we have in Iraq!" Is anybody watching this CORPORATION to see just how many? I remember a while back that Halliburton bought 15 blackhawk helicopters. I remember asking, "What the Hell does a corporation need to buy Blackhawk helicopters for?

[icymist]

15. Anybody else hear of this?

Well, I still think a mercenary army raised from a corporation is a threat to the sovereignty of the United States of America.

[Rick Myers]

17. I don't think they could even raise 20,000 in the best of circumstances

One of the craziest things is their use of Chilean and South African Special Forces vets!!!

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. That's 150,000 contractors in Iraq, of whom @ 45,000 are armed

security contractors, of whom @ 20,000 are Blackwater - so I've heard. Could be wrong on that last. There are something like 100 security firms providing armed security contractors, many, I believe, are subcontracted through Blackwater.

[Solo_in_MD]

25. Note that the truck driver with handgun or rifle is counted as armed

The numbers for armed mercs are much lower

[Solo_in_MD]

23. It bullshit. Go look at how large the combat branches of the US Army are

[PoiBoy]

19. Some links for you...

Everyone should be aware of this Christian Supremacy militia and their agenda... here's some links to other DU articles on Blackwater...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x662341

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x260380

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x259611

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x62565

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3085572

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x28559

also, there are some really good interviews with Jeremy Scahill out there... check out Democracy Now!, Laura Flanders RadioNation, PeterWerbe.com and The Daily Show...

yesterday's (04/19/07) Democracy Now! aired a segment on the local opposition to Blackwater establishing a training camp just outside of San Diego... the segment reveals just how sneaky and covert Blackwater is is trying to get their camps established in the U.S. I would encourage everyone to give it a listen...

this is very important stuff... these guys are gearing up for the next holy war, IMO...

very Anti-American...

[Solo_in_MD]

26. Have anything that does not trace to DU or Scahill?