Blackwater violated own rules in workers' deaths in Iraq

[Nambe]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A security company, based in North Carolina, violated its own safety rules in March when it sent four men with a food convoy into Fallujah, Iraq, where they were ambushed and mutilated, the Raleigh News & Observer reported yesterday. ..

The four men drove into an ambush March 31 along a main road in Fallujah without the full six-man team specified in Blackwater's contract to protect a company feeding U.S. troops. The contract was obtained by the News & Observer. ..

Several people who worked with Blackwater told the newspaper that the company should have sent its standard six-man team and two better-armored vehicles.

The contract for the work, which Blackwater signed March 12, says that such security teams would include at least six people because of the high risks in parts of Iraq. Fallujah topped the danger list.

The contract said that in such danger areas each vehicle should have three personnel aboard, one to drive and two to scan either side for threats.

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[daleo]

1. What about their profits?

A full six man crew (assuming the story about delivering food is true) would have cut into productivity and thus reduced profits to shareholders. In a sense, money would die. This would be an unacceptable tragedy.

(yes, this is satire).

[LauraK]

3. The only good thing about Blackwater...

is they are the only contracter doing the work of KBR in non-government work.

[Snazzy]

2. Blackwater loves Chilean mercs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1162392,00.html

...

Last month Blackwater USA flew a first group of about 60 former commandos, many of who had trained under the military government of Augusto Pinochet, from Santiago to a 2,400-acre (970-hectare) training camp in North Carolina.

From there they will be taken to Iraq, where they are expected to stay between six months and a year, the president of Blackwater USA, Gary Jackson, told the Guardian by telephone.

"We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals - the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system," he said.

....

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I read somewhere else that something like 3000 or more Chilean mercs are in Iraq today.

We were exploring the interesting growing Fundie Merc Army a bit in here (all in Helm's backyard, hmmm):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=712043

[gratuitous]

4. So does that mean . . .?

That Blackwater can be held civilly or criminally liable for violating its contract? Can the estates of the dead men sue them? Or did they get some sort of immunity clause in their sweetheart contract? And if they did, does that mean the U.S. government (that is, you and me) on the hook?

Privatize the profit, socialize the peril. That's crony capitalism.