Robert Young Pelton is the author of "Licensed to

Kill: Hired Guns in the War

on Terror " and the "Guide to the World's Most

Dangerous Places." He is also co-founder of

http://www.iraqslogger.com . This blog item is about his

experiences attending the Congressional hearing into the Blackwater

shootings in Iraq written on October 2nd, 2007.





Standing in line to get into Tuesday's hearing, I found myself in a

strange position. In front of me, dark-suited and staid Blackwater

executives stood waiting to show moral support for their boss, Erik

Prince, while the colorful and animated Pink Ladies behind me ticked

off reasons he and his industry should be feared.



The two extremes represent the bookends of public debate on the

private security industry. The former military men who run Blackwater

view their supporting role in the war on terror as both necessary and

good, while human rights activists believe there is something deeply

wrong with authorizing private citizens to kill other private

citizens.









One of the women waiting in line asked me, "How can we find out what

these people are doing?" I suggested she could go to any

neighborhood in Baghdad and just ask the locals.









Or better yet--spend a week driving through Baghdad in an unmarked car

to see how often convoys blast through intersections, guns bristling

from every door, pointed directly at you, giving you mere seconds to

get out of the way before the bullets start flying. Feel your own

pulse racing as you realize how easily you could have been killed if

you'd had your radio a little louder, or hadn't noticed their

approach, or hadn't swerved to a stop fast enough.









Companies like Blackwater wield a life-and-death power in Iraq,

creating an arrogant misuse of force the United States has put into

civilians hands.









I spent time in Sadr City and other areas interviewing the victims of

Blackwater and other security companies. Terrified Iraqis, many who

did not want to be identified or publicly quoted, told of sudden

unexpected encounters with fast moving convoys of SUVs--then death,

destruction, or permanent life change as family members were crushed,

maimed, killed, or traumatized.









During the time I spent researching my book Licensed to Kill, I

realized there were thousands of stories waiting to be heard about

excessive force being used on civilians in the name of "security".

Not surprisingly, many victims look to a militia to seek some revenge

for the transgression in the form of an ambush or IED.









Security companies are reviled; the Iraqis that work for these

companies have to cover their faces because they know militias or

their neighbors will kill them and or their families.









Military commanders understand that a non-state actor on the

battlefield is a wild card--whether death squad, militia or security

company. Iraqis know that the undermanned military must rely on

contractors to deliver 16 flavors of ice cream, frozen lobster and

bullets to the war effort.









The normally timid State Dept, known more for issuing warnings and

shutting down embassies when things get rough, has decided that its

people must travel the mean streets of Baghdad rather than give in to

intimidation. Security contractors are literally the grease that makes

our forward-leaning foreign policy in Iraq work.









So when Prince pretends like he is defending the US--justifying

violent acts by categorizing it as fighting bad guys--he does it with

the support of the State Department, though to the direct detriment of

the Iraqi civilians those actions terrify and kill.









When Prince testified that his people "acted appropriately at all

times," it made me wonder how many killings he investigated from

the Iraqi viewpoint. He has a blind spot towards the damage he causes

if he thinks that firing a contractor who just murdered someone

somehow fixes the problem. "Window or Aisle" instead of "guilty

or not guilty" does not enforce any accountability





It is no coincidence that BW has been involved in shootouts with the

Iraqi police. They too have seen the destructive force Blackwater has

been authorized to unleash on their citizens. It is no coincidence that BW has been involved in shootouts with theIraqi police. They too have seen the destructive force Blackwater hasbeen authorized to unleash on their citizens.







When Prince rattles off the various legal umbrellas he operates under,

he conveniently ignores that none of his hired guns have been brought

up on any charges for anything-despite clear incidents of

malfeasance. Blackwater itself faces no ill consequence for deploying

unstable men into the war zone.







"Anytime a contractor is abroad, he can be brought up on

charges," is the equivalent of saying speeding is illegal while

cars whip by at 80 mph without a cop in sight.







Blackwater is the personification of war as a business, violence as a

service, and chaos as a product. Prince recognized the lack of

sufficient available US troops and provided a privatized solution. He

cannot be faulted for that.







Any corporate master would take the position, like Prince did in front

of Congress Tuesday, that his people are perfect, his conduct

perfect.







Exposed deceit or corruption at most companies would lead to its own

downfall. If it's a monster like Enron, it could conceivably flutter

Wall Street for a few days.







But the conduct of companies like Blackwater directly impacts US

strategic interests.







The obvious polarization of politicians addressing Prince during the

hearing indicates that Republicans are willing to bless the use of

lethal force by a private individual against the people they are

trying to pacify, while Democrats have yet to quite capture what it is

about the industry that makes people so nervous.







I say again: Go to Iraq. Talk to the people. Drive in an unmarked

car. When an armed convoy pushes you off the road with guns

drawn, you'll understand the naked fear that Blackwater sells.

AMP Section Name: War & Disaster Profiteering