Blackwater Down

Jeremy Scahill

Research support was provided by the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute.

The men from Blackwater USA arrived in New Orleans right after Katrina hit. The company known for its private security work guarding senior US diplomats in Iraq beat the federal government and most aid organizations to the scene in another devastated Gulf. About 150 heavily armed Blackwater troops dressed in full battle gear spread out into the chaos of New Orleans. Officially, the company boasted of its forces "join[ing] the hurricane relief effort." But its men on the ground told a different story.

Some patrolled the streets in SUVs with tinted windows and the Blackwater logo splashed on the back; others sped around the French Quarter in an unmarked car with no license plates. They congregated on the corner of St. James and Bourbon in front of a bar called 711, where Blackwater was establishing a makeshift headquarters. From the balcony above the bar, several Blackwater guys cleared out what had apparently been someone's apartment. They threw mattresses, clothes, shoes and other household items from the balcony to the street below. They draped an American flag from the balcony's railing. More than a dozen troops from the 82nd Airborne Division stood in formation on the street watching the action.

Armed men shuffled in and out of the building as a handful told stories of their past experiences in Iraq. "I worked the security detail of both Bremer and Negroponte," said one of the Blackwater guys, referring to the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer, and former US Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte. Another complained, while talking on his cell phone, that he was getting only $350 a day plus his per diem. "When they told me New Orleans, I said, 'What country is that in?'" he said. He wore his company ID around his neck in a case with the phrase Operation Iraqi Freedom printed on it.

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point?

What a distasteful title.

I guess the moderators don't seem to mind this guy's Spam, but it seems that people have been removed from this forum for far less. Odd.

It is starting to seem alot like spam isn't it? I mean he posts links and copy/paste articles yet states absolutely nothing about who he is or what he intends.

Garbage!

Originally Posted by Marinerhodes

It is starting to seem alot like spam isn't it? I mean he posts links and copy/paste articles yet states absolutely nothing about who he is or what he intends.

This may be kind of a stretch, but most of his articles aren't coming from reputable sources, either. Wouldn't that maybe be a violation of rule six of the forum rules? I know I have seen a few reprimands in other posts concerning a lack of a verified source.

6. Be prepared to provide sources for things you have posted, lack of this may be considered spamming.

Originally Posted by PJ24

This may be kind of a stretch, but most of his articles aren't coming from reputable sources, either. Wouldn't that maybe be a violation of rule six of the forum rules? I know I have seen a few reprimands in other posts concerning a lack of a verified source.

Just a bit of a stretch lol.