Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Some of the mercenaries say they have been "deputized" by the Louisiana governor; indeed some are wearing gold Louisiana state law enforcement badges on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards on their arms. They say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force. Several mercenaries we spoke with said they had served in Iraq on the personal security details of the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.
(emphasis added)
Source: Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org/static/Overkill.shtmlThe governor "deputizing" these mercenaries?
I don't know the mayor and governor's history, but from what they are showing here as this hurricane aftermath is playing play out, I am growing more and more skeptical. Nagin, an ex-Republican has been basically throwing the governor under the bus up to now, and the issue with those buses underwater is making the mayor look pretty bad. The range of responsibility regarding who was more suited to do what, is not totally clear to me as far as what the Federal, State, and Local officials are concerned.
As the days go on and more information trickles out of New Orleans relating to what has been happening through reporters and the accounts of the residents, the more skeptical I am becoming of both the mayor and the governor. There is no doubt that most of the blame is on the shoulders of the Federal government and the Bush administration, but there is some level of blame to go around to the local authorities including the mayor, governor, and leaders in the areas surrounding New Orleans.
The story of what happened on that bridge where they were told there were going to be buses waiting with food and drinks, and the way they were treated when they got there was outrageous. Then the claims of police shooting over their heads is criminal. In the middle of all of this misinformation, the people were the ones who got the short end of the stick.
Don't count me in with everyone who is so quick to defend the mayor and governor. They screwed a lot up too, just not as monumentally as the Federal government and the Bush administration who are ultimately responsible. Just listen to the reports coming from the people in most of the areas that was affected by Hurricane Katrina. Most are angry with FEMA and the Federal government, but the local response has not been great either.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
