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US Renews Blackwater's Iraq License
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by Jarrett Martineau | April 4, 2008 at 04:45 pm
494 views | 7 Recommendations | 4 comments
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The US state department has renewed the license for controversial private security firm Blackwater to protect diplomats in Iraq for another year, according to officials.
The department said there was no reason to refuse the license while the FBI investigates a fatal shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad which involved Blackwater personnel.
"I have requested and received approval to have Task Order 6, which Blackwater has to provide personal protective services in Baghdad, renewed for one year," Gregory Starr, assistant secretary of state, said on Friday.
The company currently has five-year deal to provide personal protection for diplomats, which is re-authorised each year. [...]
North Carolina-based Blackwater has about 1,000 employees in Iraq. It is the largest of three private security firm protecting US diplomats in the country.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 19:21 on April 4th, 2008
Got a motive ?
Congress Making Millions Off Iraq War / Lawmakers heavily invested in defense
WASHINGTON - Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war, according to a study by a nonpartisan research group.
The study found that more Republicans than Democrats hold stock in defense companies, but that the Democrats who are invested had significantly more money at stake. In 2006, for example, Democrats held at least $3.7 million in military-related investments, compared to Republican investments of $577,500.
Overall, 151 members hold investments worth $78.7 million to $195.5 million in companies that receive defense contracts that are worth at least $5 million. These investments earned them anywhere between $15.8 million and $62 million between 2004 and 2006, the center concludes.
Center for Responsive Politics' Capital Eye:
http://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID342
As long as people believe that our so-called leaders are well-intentioned, the leaders can, and do, get away with murder. Literally.
War: a massacre of people who don't know each other for the profit of people who know each other but don't massacre each other. - Paul Valery
If the Republicans lose in 2008, they will leave office armed and dangerous. Bush's Praetorian Guard could presage the final stage in the collapse of American democracy.
BLACKWATER : THE SHADOW WAR
http://www.nowpublic.com/opinions/blackwater-shadow-war
The privatization of the army undermines the "real one".
It parallels the process by which the US middle class now competes with brutalized children in third world factories. We've now experienced the corporatization of the voting system with Diebold & friends, of the intelligence ( CIA, NSA & FBI ) with Choice Point !
And now a private army hell bound for the rapture is on deck... "
BLACKWATER : THE CRUSADE
http://www.nowpublic.com/opinions/blackwater-crusade
What God wants, God gets, God help us all ! " - Roger Waters
at 19:27 on April 4th, 2008
Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff. Interesting story Jarrett
at 03:54 on May 19th, 2008
Forget about the story (wich shows a little spark of pro-activeness in things that matter the most for Humans as a whole like Human Rights beeing violated) and think about the real fact. Americans votes are beeing used against themselves, the dollar bill became more powerful than their vote itself.
That's not freedom.
Don't wait for God's help, but for his guidance into doing the right thing.
at 03:57 on May 19th, 2008
Every 'eye opener' story should be considered good stuff.