Blackwater Lawlessness
Blackwater is a so-called war contractor, a corporation that does the jobs of soldiers, gets lots of money for doing it, and is not subject to all the rules and regulations promulgated by the Defense Department. Worse! Blackwater, as well as other war contractors, is not subject to U.S. Law. This means members of Blackwater can kill Iraqis without fear of penalty - and they do kill.
Blackwater personnel acting as guards to VIP in Iraq, opened fire and killed 11 Iraqis. And officials in the Bush Administration are defending their actions. This is so outrageous that the House passed a bill by a huge margin - 389 to 30 - to subject Blackwater and other private contractors working in war zones to prosecution in U.S. courts.
Rep. Sheila Jackson said:
There is simply no excuse for the de facto legal immunity for tens of thousands of individuals working in countries [on behalf of the United States].
Senate Democrats are working on a similar bill. What does President Bush do? He threatens a veto! I was going to say "Unbelievable." But nothing is unbelievable coming from Bush. He is threatening a veto over a bill that adds a little justice to our system. We can't afford to have a separate justice system - more precisely, NO justice system - for mercenaries than we have for ordinary Americans.
All senators, not merely Democrats, must vote for this bill. All senators need to speak up in favor of justice for all.
The only way to get rid of Blackwater lawlessness is to prosecute contractor personnel in U.S. courts.
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