Marines ‘beat US workers’ in Iraq
“I never in my career have treated anybody so inhumane,” one of the contractors, Rick Blanchard, a former Florida state trooper, wrote in an email quoted in the Los Angeles Times. “They treated us like insurgents, roughed us up, took photos, hazed [bullied] us, called us names.”
…
Mark Schopper, a lawyer for two of the contractors, told the newspaper that his clients, both former marines, were subjected to “physical and psychological abuse”. He said they had told him that marines had “slammed around” several con tractors, stripped them to their underwear and placed a loaded weapon near their heads.
“How does it feel to be a big, rich contractor now?” one of the marines is alleged to have shouted at the men, in an apparent reference to the large sums of money private contractors can make in Iraq.
…
They also complained they were made to wear orange prison uniforms and fed the same “bad food” as Iraqi prisoners.
According to Peter Singer, a Brookings Institute scholar and author of the book Corporate Warriors, private military contractors in Iraq are operating in a black hole as they do not fall within the military chain of command. “What appears to have happened here is tension between forces bubbling to the surface,” he told the Guardian.
But he said the incident also raised the question of what happens to contractors if they are caught doing something wrong, such as firing on civilians, as their legal status is not defined. “If the marines think [the contractors] did do something illegal there is no process they can go through. Who are they going to hand them over to?” Mr Singer said. “There have been more than 20,000 [contractors] on the ground in Iraq for more than two years and not one has been prosecuted for anything.”
The part I find “funny” is being fed the same “bad food” as Iraqi prisoners. These Marines must hate really Americans.
If caught by Marines
If caught by parent Company
If caught by resistance
$600 to $1,000 a day.
“Mark Schopper, a lawyer for two of the contractors, told the newspaper…”
Why did these contracters need, or get the services of, a lawyer? Why didn’t the reporter talk to the contractors directly?
Are all Iraqi prisoners likewise represented by lawyers?
“same bad food…”
Oops.
the quote is from Outsourcing War, Foreign Affairs, March 1, 2005, by Peter W. Singer, (currently) Senior Fellow and Director of the Project on U.S. Policy Towards the Islamic World, Saban Center for Middle East Policy :
The article provides a good overview of the general practice of hiring PMFs, who they are/where they work, and why they are in many cases “beyond the law”. Prior to his current fellowship, Prof. Singer wrote an analysis titled War, Profits, and the Vacuum of Law: Privatized Military Firms and International Law, for the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Spring 2004.
In that article he describes the legal neverland in which PMFs operate, and makes recommendations for changes to existing international law.
To the point. In that compound clusterf*ck that is Iraq, the Marines, along with the rest of our “boots on the ground” have been tasked with attempting to simultaneously police and protect the “new” country. They are fighting to maintain basic control in an environment that makes historic Dodge City look tame in comparison.
The entire country is “armed and dangerous”. Realize that the entire existant military was disbanded, criminals were set free, porous borders allowed “foreign nationals” to cross in substantial numbers, and in that country an “eye for an eye” is taken literally. Every time they set up a roadblock, repair a school, or take a piss on the side of the road they run the risk of being blown up or shot. And they’re absolutely not there for the money.
Hate Americans? Hardly. If past experience is any indicator, they hate amatuers disguised as professionals who apparently believe the entire country is a “free fire” zone. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time that some dumb-f*ck ex special ops idiot with a weapon will fire on and/or kill someone for grins.
This incident points to the flawed policy of allowing armed civilians into a military theater of operations. The USMC represents the people of the United States, and are accountable for their actions. PMFs draw paychecks and are accountable to no one.
Joke ’em if they can’t take a f*ck.
Hate Americans?
joking…
Shit. Shoulda known. But thanks for the opportunity to vent anyway. <grin>.
that the Marines are telling a different story about these contractors. According to this other story, these contractos were running around in cars shooting at people.
I could very well be mixing up two completely separate stories, so I’ll go backtrack and see if I can come up with where I originally read the Marines’ story.
http://seven.com.au/news/topstories/86159
From the article:
It may or may not be the same group of contractors. I couldn’t find out from my cursory look.
I saw the same article as well, it was first thing that popped into my head upon reading this diary. Of course, neither incident excuses any of the aforementioned actions. It would definitely be interesting to know whether or not the 2 are connected though.
Grim, yes, but really, really funny.
The Marines must hate everybody.
By the way, this is a sign of really, really bad morale. Just about one step away from collapse.