Judge Refuses To Toss Charges In Blackwater Case

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(02-17) 11:36 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

A federal judge has given a green light to the manslaughter case against five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of spraying innocent Iraqis with machine-gun fire.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina on Tuesday denied two motions to dismiss the case.

The shooting in Baghdad in September 2007 left 17 Iraqis dead and another 20 wounded.

The former Blackwater guards argue they are not subject to U.S. civilian criminal laws because they were working overseas under a contract with the State Department.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/02/17/national/w113651S55.DTL

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. I love good news! nt

[bertman]

3. Same here. Babylonsister, you're gonna get diabetes if you eat all those little Valentine

hearts.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

11. Love my Necco hearts!

That's New England Confectionary Company of Cambridge, Mass.

[earcandle]

25. Boy are you LOVED! Congrats!

[lsewpershad]

32. Same here

It is precisely because they worked for the State Dept that they must be held responsible as the Dept represents our Govt and thus all of us. As Americans we do not condone MURDER.

[louis-t]

2. Yeah, bushie told them they are not subject to any

laws. Not Iraqi laws, not US military law, not international law, not US laws. Teacher's out of the room guys, do what you need to, git 'er dun. They are in for a big surprise.

[truedelphi]

4. But Blackwater has a new name now.

So how can the company known as Xe, or employees thereof, be charged for crimes from so long ago?
(Is sarcasmbutton necessary?)

[valerief]

14. That's right. Blackwater isn't Xe. Any Republican knows that. How

can they prosecute Xe employees when it was Blackwater who done wrong? Geesh. Don't them liberals get anything right?

:sarcasm:

[Mist]

5. Good news. nt

[Gregorian]

6. Hey, they were just more of those "frat pranks".

Come on, judge. Limbaugh doesn't have a problem with it.

Well, it's not just manslaughter, it's murder. And we all know it's just the tip of the iceberg. Tag, you're it.

[pleah]

7. Great news.

Blackwater aka Xe got DENIED!

[billybob537]

8. The Republics used these guys to do their dirty work!

Now they're gonna let them hang!
When will people learn you can't trust the GUBMINT!
:mad: :puke: :wtf: :argh: :nopity: :spank: :wow: :beer: :nuke: :banghead: :mad: :puke: :wtf: :argh: :nopity: :spank: :wow: :beer: :nuke: :banghead: :mad: :puke: :wtf: :argh: :nopity: :spank: :wow: :beer: :nuke: :banghead: :mad: :puke: :wtf: :argh: :nopity: :spank: :wow: :beer: :nuke: :banghead: :mad: :puke: :wtf: :argh: :nopity: :spank: :wow: :beer: :nuke: :banghead:

[Deep13]

9. Oops.

Guess the law is real after all.

[rateyes]

10. Not subject to US civilian criminal laws???

Are they US citizens??

Dumbasses.

[ManiacJoe]

23. They are probably right.

"A legal loophole says only contractors who work for or support the Defense Department can be prosecuted in U.S. courts for crimes committed overseas." They were working for the State Department, not the DOD.

In general, jurisdiction for USA laws end at the USA border. The crimes they committed were done in Iraq against Iraqi laws. They should be put on trail in Iraq.

[rateyes]

29. Well then, give them the choice. Face trial here, or in Iraq. nt

[crikkett]

30. Xe dudes working for State dept not DoD? oops

[LaPera]

12. What pigs, republicans no doubt! Believing they were not subject to U.S. civilian criminal laws

so they could get their sick jollies & macho bullshit off anytime they pleased.

I'm sure they felt really proud killing and maiming all those people and probably laughed about it together, backslapping over some beers....and justifying it as just "doing their job".

Bullshit, they killed because they loved it and thought there would be no repercussions from it, while being paid well to kill, which they love doing so very much.

Again, believing they weren't subject to U.S. civilian criminal laws and that could do whatever they felt like doing....sick mercenary bastards!

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Too little, too late - the hatred and anger still permeates Iraqi souls

.
.
.

The USA shoulda charged them guys immediately

NO ONE SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW

Not even the USA's mercenaries

WE KNOW THAT

Why did they ignore it?

[krister]

15. Justice for Arab Muslims?

By golly, what is the world coming to?

[AzDar]

16. Excellent!

n/t

[Left Coast2020]

17. Yippy Skippy!!!!

[Jefferson23]

18. K&R, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbinam you are the man today good sir!!

I love the smell of progress anytime of the day!

[neuvocat]

19. Well whattya know...

working as a mercernary DOES have a downside after all. Guess what, boys, you may not have to work under the same rules that soldiers and Marines do and that's just the thing that bites your ass given the lack of legal protections the soldiers and Marines got.

[salguine]

20. The company itself needs to be disarmed and disbanded. No democratic government,

under any circumstances, either needs or should tolerate a private mercenary army, equipped with aircraft and armored vehicles and thousands of "troops", inside its borders. It's absolutely insane.

[Hekate]

21. Hekate is cranking up the old Victrola to play her Schadenfreude Dance any day now...

... Wait for it ...

Hekate

[2QT2BSTR8]

22. Plain and simple - murder is murder. They deserve whatever is coming to them.

[bernardette blue]

24. no-brainer

We need to continue to be a nation of laws, not a nation of men.

[mike_c]

26. if they don't want to face U.S. justice...

...hand them over to Iraqi courts. Hell, that's what I'd do regardless.

[jeff30997]

27. I totally agree.

They would certainly get a more appropriate sentence over-there.

[SeattleGirl]

28. Good! It would be even better, though, if they also brought

charges against the Bushies for giving the okay to all this shit.

[EnviroBat]

31. Hang those fuckers by their tiny dicks. n/t