"Blackwater may lose license to work in Iraq, report says" by Matthew Lee, Associated Press | December 18, 2008
WASHINGTON - .... It is not clear how the State Department would replace Blackwater. It relies heavily on private contractors to protect its diplomats in Iraq, as its own security service does not have the manpower or equipment to do so. The report suggests that one way to fill the void would be for the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service to beef up its presence in Iraq....
I'll bet Obama KEEPS 'em, how about that?
Hey, 'bamer, HOW MUCH would it COST if we LEFT, 'eh?
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A decision on how US diplomats in Iraq are to be protected will be left to the Obama administration, which will be in place when Blackwater's contract comes up for renewal in the spring. Terminating the North Carolina-based company's Iraq contract would be difficult for incoming Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton because no other private security contractor has its range of resources, particularly its fleet of helicopters and planes....
They ain't going anywhere! What a DECEPTIVE HEADLINE and ARTICLE!!! So typical of the rubbish served up on a daily basis by my War Daily!
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Related: Blackwater's Navy
Oh, and don't worry: Blackwater and their murdering thugs to be acquitted!"Radio logs suggest Blackwater guards took enemy gunfire; Five face charges in 14 killings last year in Iraq" by Matt Apuzzo and Lara Jakes, Associated Press | December 19, 2008
WASHINGTON - Radio logs from a deadly 2007 shooting in Baghdad contradict US government claims that Blackwater Worldwide security guards were unprovoked when they killed 14 Iraqi civilians.
Yeah, you could never phony those up after a year!
Five guards face manslaughter and weapons charges for their roles in the shootings. A sixth has pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said the men unleashed a gruesome attack on unarmed Iraqis, including women, children, and people trying to escape.
But Blackwater communication logs from the Sept. 16, 2007 shooting suggest otherwise. The logs, turned over to prosecutors, describe a hectic eight minutes in which the guards repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police. Because Blackwater guards were authorized to fire in self-defense, evidence that their convoy was attacked will make it harder for the Justice Department to prove they acted unlawfully....
It is unclear why Iraqi police would fire on the Blackwater convoy. Prosecutors could contend the police fired because they believed Blackwater was attacking civilians. It is also common for insurgents to dress as Iraqi police or military officials....
You see what they are implying, right?
Also see: Prop 201 tutorial
"Unless these guys are lying to their command watch in real time, making up stuff, that's real-time reporting that they were taking small arms fire," said defense lawyer Thomas Connolly, who represents Nick Slatten, a former Army sergeant.
Connolly provided the logs because he said prosecutors knew there was evidence of a firefight, but unfairly described it as a massacre. "The Justice Department began their presentation to the American people with a lie," Connolly said.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd declined to discuss the contents of the logs. Blackwater, based in Moyock, N.C., confirmed the authenticity of the logs but declined further comment. The logs add a new uncertainty to an already murky case.
Ever notice how U.S. MASS-MURDER is MURKY, but SUICIDERS are CRYSTAL CLEAR?
Iraqi witnesses say Blackwater guards fired the only shots. And some Raven 23 members told authorities they saw no gunfire. Others in the convoy told authorities they did see enemy gunfire.
And Blackwater turned over to prosecutors pictures of vehicles pocked with bullet holes, which the company says proves the guards were shot at. The photos were not time-stamped, however, and the trucks were repainted and repaired by the time FBI agents began investigating.
The FIRST THING I thought off was JFK's LIMO!! LBJ had the whole thing rebuilt before any investigation took place!! The OBVIOUS conclusion here is there WERE NO VEHICLES with pock-marks because THAT NEVER HAPPENED!!!!
Of course, the MSM sticks this HUGE REVELATION in the BACK of the piece! What you are meant to take away from the piece is that Blackwater called in a shooting, so case closed.
Oh, yeah, there were a bunch of dead Iraqis, too, but who remembers them?
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