People today don’t seem to care about the war; in the seventies the Vietnam War caused so much conflict in America but it was mostly because of the draft. The danger was imminent, “in your face,” and every male, from brothers to lovers, were fair game. The public backlash was there because people cared, we don’t have that now.
People that don’t want to be involved don’t have to be and this is one of the main reasons that most have no idea what is even going on with the war, the government, and the fate of our country. We don’t need a draft to get people interested in their country, but we do need that interest sparked. And injustice seems to do that well.
Following the invasion of Afghanistan, Eric Prince founded an organization known as Blackwater. Founded to provide training for Military and law enforcement organizations, but have also to aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and as security for government officials, including the American embassy in Iraq, Blackwater has resulted in much controversy.
Between 2005 and 2007, Blackwater security agents have been involved in 195 shootings resulting in death and injury, and in 80% of the shootings, Blackwater fired first, reports CNN.com. What are they doing over there? Simply protecting, or creating conflict?
A large portion of the conflict comes from 2004 when a group of Blackwater agents were killed and hung on a bridge in Fallujah, an Iraqi city in the province of Al Andar. At the news of their death, Blackwater was unable to disclose any information other than that they had been on a delivery for food caterers.
But Blackwater, having earned the label of mercenaries, were heavily armed, and suspicions arose that they were there killing revolutionaries.
It wasn’t until the families of the four boys killed began asking questions as to the nature of their sons’ and husbands’ mission that the incidents even got talked about. Blackwater evaded answering questions and ended up with a lawsuit for putting the boys in unnecessary danger.
But why was this mission even allowed? U.S. Military personnel are confined to strict operating rules and severe penalties for using unnecessary force. The Blackwater agents are not subject to this because they are an independent organization. The only reason they are in Iraq is to protect the thinly stretched U.S. troops. But there have been increasing numbers of Iraq complaints about the civilian security contractors being “trigger happy.”
At the same time, more than 1,000 of these Blackwater agents have been killed.
The most recent Blackwater controversy was caused when agents of the firm reportedly opened fire on a heavily populated street in Baghdad on Sept. 16. In defense, the Iraqi interior ministry revoked the security organizations license to operate in Iraq, but in the statement Blackwater released, they apologized for the loss, while maintaining that violence was necessary to defend themselves against armed insurgents and not civilians. However, of the casualties and wounded, most were civilians.
According to an article Rod Nordland and Mark Hosenball wrote for Newsweek, There have even been accounts of Blackwater extending their authority to U.S. Troops. It was reported that in 2006, a Blackwater SUV collided with a U.S. Army Humvee. The Blackwater agents drew their weapons and forced the troops to lay on the ground until they had the vehicles separated.
The President doesn’t seem too concerned though. Eric Prince had been a strong supporter of the Republican Party during George W. Bush’s candidacy and contributed 168,000 dollars to the Republican National Committee. Now Bush is returning the favor by employing this organization to take care of tasks like the devastation of hurricane Katrina; countries like Cuba offered to help but they were turned down and Blackwater was sent in.
The military shouldn’t be relying so heavily on private security organizations, especially when they lack the rules and regulations that are intended to keep order.
Blackwater is a pack of brutes on a power trip. They act and react as though we are in some post apocalyptic world when in actuality, the situation is far from hopeless.
