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[videogamer]

Private security contractors have been involved in scores of shootings in Iraq, but none have been prosecuted despite findings in at least one fatal case that the men had not followed proper procedures, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Times.

Instead, security contractors suspected of reckless behavior are sent home, sometimes with the knowledge of U.S. officials, raising questions about accountability and stirring fierce resentment among Iraqis.

Thousands of the heavily armed private guards are in Iraq, under contract with the U.S. government and private companies. The conduct of such security personnel has been one of the most controversial issues in the reconstruction of Iraq. Last week, a British newspaper publicized a so-called trophy video that appears to show private contractors in Iraq firing at civilian vehicles as an Elvis song plays in the background.

The contractors function in a legal gray area. Under an order issued by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority that administered Iraq until June 2004, contractors suspected of wrongdoing are to be prosecuted in their home countries. The contractors have immunity from Iraqi courts and have so far not faced American prosecution, giving little recourse to Iraqis seeking justice for wrongful shootings.

"What was my innocent son's crime?" asked Zahra Ridha, the mother of a 19-year-old shot and killed by security contractors in May. "Is this what we deserve?"

Industry officials say some contractors have voluntarily set up compensation programs, but there is no formal system in place, as there is for cases involving American troops.

The U.S. military has a commission that reviews damages claims and makes payments when troops are determined to have erred in opening fire on property or people. American troops suspected of shooting at Iraqis face trial in military tribunals. More than 20 U.S. service members have been accused of crimes leading to the deaths of Iraqis, and at least 10 have been convicted.

A Justice Department official, who asked not to be identified because he was not an authorized spokesman, said the lack of prosecutions of contractors reflected poor oversight by U.S. officials in Iraq, who were under no compulsion to report suspected criminal behavior.

"Any time you get a large group of people together in one place, bad things are going to happen," the official said.

A Times survey of nearly 200 "serious incident" reports filed by private security firms since November 2004 shows that 11% of the incidents involved contractors firing toward civilian vehicles believed to be a threat.

2+ pages left at
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fg-guards4dec04,1,2258386.story

 

[Phoenix]

The parallels between Iraq and New Orleans are astonishing.

 

[Diablos]

...but is it really that surprising?
No.
This has to be like the WORST decade in a loooooooong time.

Bush, 9/11, Iraq, manic economy (one month: YAY MORE JOBS, next month: bye, go to the unemployment office), Americans regardless of class working way too much, obsesity is out of control, children grow more and more increasingly detached from their families, society growing more sheltered, intolerant, biased, generally scared... I could go on forever... it's a mess when you step back and look at everything.

Who the fuck would EVER think that in the US of A, people in one vital state on election day would pick one man over the other -- despite his obvious mistakes made in leading the country and handling a war -- because of the other's stance on gay marriage, which was blown completely out of proportion to begin with.

I really do think it was pushing the anti-gay agenda that saved the GOP at the end. In Ohio, at least.

Blame the GOP all you want but it's beyond pathetic that people actually BELIEVED THIS and then used it as a major determining factor.

 

[videogamer]

Who the fuck would EVER think that in the US of A, people in one vital state on election day would pick one man over the other -- despite his obvious mistakes made in leading the country and handling a war -- because of the other's stance on gay marriage, which was blown completely out of proportion to begin with.

I really do think it was pushing the anti-gay agenda that saved the GOP at the end. In Ohio, at least.

Blame the GOP all you want but it's beyond pathetic that people actually BELIEVED THIS and then used it as a major determining factor.

Well, it can't all be blamed on just that one issue. Even if I arbitrarily set 30% of the population as being swayed by that issue, there would still be other issues as well. We can flip it around and say that the security issue was what pushed it over the ledge this time. The marriage issue was just something that happened to have a bigger profile during the 2004 election. If Bush had only worked toward equality instead of attempting to cripple progress, this marriage issue wouldn't have been an issue at all.

And yeah, the buck ultimately ends up at the people who cast those votes.

 

[teepo]

wow, it's like the 70s and 80s never happened.

 

[videogamer]

AFAIK, the US didn't use contractors in Vietnam-or any of the other military engagements in those two decades- like they do today. But yeah, there was not much oversight over parties that did work for what some viewed as being US interests. Nicaragua and Chile are two examples that come to mind.

 

[bob_arctor]

AFAIK, the US didn't use contractors in Vietnam-or any of the other military engagements in those two decades- like they do today. But yeah, there was not much oversight over parties that did work for what some viewed as being US interests. Nicaragua and Chile are two examples that come to mind.

Oh man, those Contras were ripping shit up over there!

 

[videogamer]

Oh man, those Contras were ripping shit up over there!

But the thing is, the relationship between the Contras and the US was more covert than even the Iraq contractor relationship now. Although there should have been accountability in both cases, this one should have been obvious.

 

[Fowler]

A colleague who's often in Iraq told me how crazy it is over there... he compared it to the Wild West, basically. He was saying how a lot of people are pretty much there to nuts living out their fantasies, cruising around in big flashy cars that attract attention (and trouble) to fire back at. Supposedly there are a couple of private bodyguards who even go by the names of Morpheus and Lara Croft... and wear the outfits to match.

 

[videogamer]

WTF it's so hot over there. Why would anyone want to dress like Morpheus.

Then again, a lot of cosplay outfits would be perfectly fit for that kind of climate (Man-Faye, some of the characters from One Piece... )