Their mission statement sounds familiar. Sounds like Bush's "mission accomplished" statement. Did Bush jump the gun? Did he put to much stock in Blackwater and their "statements"?
How about the laws regarding them. I wonder if he knows about that? Let's see what he said to a student at Johns Hopkins in April of 2006 as reported by the Virginian-Pilot:
The issue of accountability for private military contractors has stumped many experts – including the U.S. commander in chief.
During a Q&A session at Johns Hopkins University in April, a student raised the subject with President Bush. A transcript of the exchange, taken from the White House Web site:
Student: My question is in regards to private military contractors. Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple months ago what law governs their actions.
Bush: I was going to ask him. Go ahead. (laughter) Help. (laughter)
Student: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (laughter) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against – over our American military contractors. I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?
Bush: I appreciate that very much. I wasn’t kidding – (laughter) I was going to – I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I’ve got an interesting question. (laughter) This is what delegation – I don’t mean to be dodging the question, although it’s kind of convenient in this case, but never – (laughter) I really will – I’m going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That’s how I work. I’m – thanks. (laughter)
THERE IS A VIDEO OF THE EXCHANGE
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=108049&ran=216560
Nope. Doesn't seem like he knows much about that either. Well maybe it's no big deal right? They probably don't have much hardware. A couple of 9mm's, I mean, they're just security guards right? Well let's take a look at what they have.
The Hardware
Grizzly APC
The leader in the high-threat security industry, Blackwater incorporates real-world lessons learned on the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan into all of our operations. Now, we’ve gone one step further.
Blackwater presents the GRIZZLY™ – the world’s only Armored Personnel Carrier intended to counter the most lethal threats in the modern urban combat environment.
The GRIZZLY™ incorporates the Blackwater High Threat Armor Protection System TM (patent pending). This state-of-the-art technology is an exceptional armor system unmatched in the urban APC market. The Blackwater High Threat Armor Protection System is engineered to defeat projectiles up to .50 caliber and to provide an IED-survivable envelope.
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