Jeremy Scahill on Morning Joe (Sept. 4, 2009)

Investigative Journalist and contributor to "The Nation" Jeremy Scahill discusses the topic of his acclaimed book "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Scahill and the Morning Joe panel discuss Blackwater's use in the Bush White House, and their work in the Obama administration. Great brief segment and summary of Blackwater and private war contractors.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• jeremy scahill
• blackwater
• morning joe
• september
• 2009
• barack obama
• george bush
• iraq
• afghanistan
• triple canopy

[john48martin]

Blackwater is an American company. They hire private contractors from all over the world. One of their main pools was former members of Pinochets death squads. This is from Jeremy Scahill's book on Blackwater. It is hiring private mercenaries instead of using the American Army to fight for the American government. Did you read his book or even listen to this video?

[funky13onkey]

If you can point out one instance where Scahill is being "deceptive" then we can all have a conversation about that. However, I have read the book (it has been awhile now) and looked into this (Blackwater/XE have a facility in my area near San Diego) issue and the truth is quite scary. If you put aside the ideology behind blackwater (Eric Prince/ extreme right-wing views) the idea of privatizing military work is just horrendous! The profit motive is poisonous. From a former marine: Fuk XE

[Moionfire]

@neverknowwhattouse

lol

[neverknowwhattouse]

@Moionfire

No it's NOT just you.!

[Moionfire]

God, Jeremy Scahill is HOT. Is it just me???

[dynaco]

1. Good to see conservative commentators having Jeremy Scahill as a guest, he's right: Blackwater (and the other zero accountability war profiteers) is, or should be a non-partisan issue.

2. Fire that cameraman! The wide shot is too wide, and I swear I got motion sickness with that pointless camera hovering.

[christophersteal]

Triple Canopy, a Chicago company now based in Virginia, may not have Blackwater's thuggish reputation, but Triple Canopy has its own bloody history in Iraq and a record of hiring mercenaries from countries with atrocious human rights records.

Obama is using this company also in Israel/Palestine. The original arrangement with Triple Canopy in Israel appears to date back to at least September 2005 and has been renewed every year since.

[christophersteal]

Founded in Chicago in 2003 by "US Army Special Forces veterans," Triple Canopy won its first Iraq contract in 2004. In 2005, with its business expanding, Triple Canopy relocated its corporate headquarters from Obama's home state to Herndon, Virginia, placing it much closer to the center of US war contracting.

[christophersteal]

(On several US government contracts, however, including the Israel security contracts, its Lincolnshire, Illinois address is still used.)

At one point during the US occupation, Blackwater was responsible for Baghdad (the largest share of the work), DynCorp covered northern Iraq, and Triple Canopy southern Iraq.

[christophersteal]

Triple Canopy also worked for KBR. As of 2007, Triple Canopy had about 2,000 operatives in Iraq, but only 257 on the State Department contract.

The Obama administration may have traded Blackwater for Triple Canopy in Iraq, but it is likely that some of Blackwater's operatives, too, will simply jump over to Triple Canopy to keep working as armed security guards for occupation officials.

[christophersteal]

Blackwater is scheduled to continue to work in Iraq under Obama through its aviation division and in Afghanistan, where it has security and counter-narcotics contracts. It also holds millions of dollars in other US government contracts around the world and in the US. In February alone, the Obama administration paid Blackwater nearly $70 million in security contracts.

[christophersteal]

Like Blackwater, Triple Canopy has had its share of bloody incidents, among them allegations that operatives have gone on missions where they shot at civilian vehicles, including one after a briefing where a team leader cocked his M-4 and said to his men, "I want to kill somebody today.