I think Blackwater pretty much is American military. They're privatized, but they're pretty much all ex-military. They basically just get a pay raise and fewer rules to follow.

In fact, most of them ARE your troops (retired). Almost all of the Blackwater folks who are on the ground doing protective details have already served combat missions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Some, more than one. Many, two or more.

I have a good friend who does this job. He's the same guy he was as a soldier, with the same ethics, and he takes the same risks. He is protecting both American personnel (usually diplomats) and Iraqi diplomats (elected officials, elected in a free and democratic election, who are being targeted by terrorists).

I respect him. But then, i suspect many of you also don't respect our troops, so I expect you to treat the Blackwater folks, most of whom are doing a job that none of you would take for ten times the pay they make, with the same sort of disdain you do the troops.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

Sort of:

There aren't fewer rules, just DIFFERENT rules. Blackwater's primary mission is serving as protection staff for American personnel working in Iraq. They are allowed to return fire (as our troops are), but their primary focus is getting people from one place to another while not getting killed.

Thus, if a car blocks an intersection, Blackwater would just push past the car (or ram it to get through), because they don't care about the intersection or the reasons for what that driver is doing...they just want to protect the person they are guarding. That's their job, that's what they get paid to do.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

If that's the case, I think the American people have the right to know the stats in reference to number of death and injuries. That would mean that the actual number given is incorrect. The numbers must be way off since contractors outnumber the troops.

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I've been informed....don't blame Bush, he's "not in control"
That must make him out of control

There are 1,000 blackwater employees on the ground on these teams. There are 150,000 U.S. troops, not to mention other nations.

Uh? Yeah. Your math skills leave something to be desired.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

The other contractors...I'm also suppose to give them the utmost respect too? Be consistant.

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I've been informed....don't blame Bush, he's "not in control"
That must make him out of control

Uh....Yeah. Your ability not to provide links and ignore important information is typical behavior from the right.

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I've been informed....don't blame Bush, he's "not in control"
That must make him out of control

Nobody was talking about contractors in general.

Since I was told that Blackwater is the same as our military, that must mean that goes for the other "combat contractors."

Does that mean I'm suppose to treat them with the utmost respect, the same as our troops?

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I've been informed....don't blame Bush, he's "not in control"
That must make him out of control

Since the investigation is not over we cannot comment on any specific incident but only in general. You are correct that Blackwater's mission is to protect their client but that does not mean that they can do whatever they like. They cannot "go through" something or someone just becasue it is there. That something or someone should have been posing a threat.

We need to wait untill the investigation is over to find out if all of those Iraqi's were posing a threat. We also need to find out if the Iraqi police were a casue of the civilian deaths.

Yes Blackwater has to do their job but Blackwater cannot do whatever Blackwater wants to do just becasue Blackwater wants to.

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"