Over at BoingBoing, Xeni Jardin thinks that the interesting part about Ben Ehrenreich's LA Weekly story, "Baghdad on the Bayou," is that they're finding more people who believe the government bombed the levees in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. As far as I'm concerned, that notion is only relevant in the sense that it highlights the fierce distrust New Orleans residents have for the government and the wealthy. I'm not about to buy into a wild conspiracy theory like that without even a hint of evidence other than people saying they heard something go "boom."

However, the article also mentions that Blackwater USA "security personnel" have been sent to the flooded city.

At the staging ground at the base of Canal Street - the most secure spot in the city if not the entire nation - hundreds of officials milled about lugging shotguns and automatic rifles as if expecting the Mahdi Army. Among thousands of soldiers and police from every imaginable government agency, I twice saw groups of heavily armed men in khaki fatigues wearing T-shirts that read "Blackwater." A city was submerged, hundreds of thousands homeless, and the feds called in the mercenaries.

Blackwater itself issued a press release announcing their arrival on September 1, but the announcement highlighted their assistance in evacuating residents, and only mentioned their other functions in a laundry list of services that are "available."

The following services are available:

Airlift Services

Security Services

Communication Support

Crowd Control

Humanitarian Support Services

Logistics and Transportation Services

It seems a bit odd to bring in a private firm to provide these services while turning away aid, sending trained first-responders to do PR work, and reprimanding Navy pilots for airlifting stranded residents. Beyond that, questions of jurisdiction come into play. Blackwater isn't a government agency. They're not official first-responders. Under whose auspices are they operating? What happens if one of their "security personnel" mistakes a journalist with camera gear for a looter and guns him down? They may very well answer to someone, but I'd bet that if they shot and killed someone by mistake, we wouldn't hear much about it. But mismanagement of resources and questions of accountability are just two of the problems here. More troubling is the fact that our Government has employed the use of armed mercenaries on American soil.

photoline

Edmonton, AB

January 2005

SEP 09, 2005 10:17 PM

Bureaucracy is like an onion: as you peel away the layers, it all looks the same.

Rumours and urban myths have their foundation in fear -- fear that our worst nightmares will come true.

Michael Brown isn't the problem. He's a sympton. As more truth is revealed, the bigger the farce and the darker the implications.

[Edited on Sep 09, 2005 11:22PM]

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK

August 2002

SEP 09, 2005 10:21 PM

Follow the money.

Jeff_Fries

Humptulips, WA

September 2003

SEP 09, 2005 10:27 PM

Eliminate Gordon Freeman

Patrick_Lasswell

Portland, OR

January 2003

SEP 09, 2005 10:38 PM

So we should keep expensive National Guardsmen away from their home indefinitely so that they can do the jobs of $10/hr rent-a-cops?

As a reservist who doesn't want to spend his fall standing in an open sewer with an M-16, I welcome the arrival of private security firms to the New Orleans area.

Of course, if you want to make this problem better, you'd go out and join the National Guard to prevent the government from having to use private security. So, would your refusal to join the Guard and go to the open sewer of New Orleans make you a browntrouthawk?

BlastProcessing

USA

OLD SKOOL

SEP 09, 2005 10:41 PM

So we should keep expensive National Guardsmen away from their home indefinitely so that they can do the jobs of $10/hr rent-a-cops?

If it's all about the money, sure!

As a reservist who doesn't want to spend his fall standing in an open sewer with an M-16, I welcome the arrival of private security firms to the New Orleans area.

Of course, if you want to make this problem better, you'd go out and join the National Guard to prevent the government from having to use private security.

Quite the juxtaposition.

[Edited on Sep 09, 2005 by Furious_D]

draciav

San Diego, CA

December 2003

SEP 09, 2005 10:52 PM

Given that Private Military Contractors are the second largest standing (non-Iraqi) force in Iraq, and that 1 out of every 5 dollars spent by the US is going to private contractors over there, I think it's interesting that people are just now starting to talk about groups like Blackwater again.

Then again, this article shows how private "security personnel" can actually help at times. This is only one report of many I've seen recently, where armed contractors have actually helped the media get past bullying feds and local cops.

Sure, it's a big dick contest with automatic weapons, but what are you going to do?

In the coming years, it's not a matter of whether or not PMCs are going to be present in these situations, but whether or not we can get decent regulatory processes in place that ensure that they are operating at an acceptable standard.

And while you can argue that the poor are more likely to be victimized by these soldiers for hire than big companies, you can't argue with the footage that's already out there of some of these individuals / companies cutting through the bullshit and flying straight into NOLA on their own dime to help yank people off of roofs with their own private helos and boats.

[Edited on Sep 09, 2005 10:53PM]

Bastardo

Boston, MA

January 2005

SEP 09, 2005 11:03 PM

So who hired them? Or are they doing this for a little bit of free publicity for future contacts?

Keith

Oklahoma City, OK

August 2002

SEP 09, 2005 11:05 PM

We're heading back to the days of the Pinkertons, it seems.

draciav

San Diego, CA

December 2003

SEP 09, 2005 11:27 PM

Interdictor's Blog (the guy that's been maintaining a datacenter in the NO CBD this whole time) has mentioned that several of the companies near his building have been bringing in private security teams to help them secure their property.

He's also mentioned that, unlike the locals, NG, and guys from the 82nd Airborne, these contractors are not pointing guns at people and tend to be pretty friendly and professional.

Despite the whole "mercenary" rep, several of these companies have proven themselves to have their shit together on many occassions when our federal agencies have dropped the ball on logistics and communications.

Blackwater is the same group that defended a CPA building in Iraq against attacks for 8 hours, while their helos flew ammo in and took a wounded marine out - while waiting on the official calvary to get their shit together.

PiratePete

Murrieta, CA

September 2004

SEP 10, 2005 03:56 AM

bean reprimanding Navy pilots for airlifting stranded residents

Um that and they won't allow medics or corpsmen to go over and help even if they are taking leave to do so (I know I'm in this boat) WHAT A BUNCH OF FUCKERS!!!!!

V_S

[Edited on Sep 10, 2005 by viking_samurai]

bones_708

Houston, TX

December 2004

SEP 10, 2005 07:34 AM

Patrick_Lasswell said:
So we should keep expensive National Guardsmen away from their home indefinitely so that they can do the jobs of $10/hr rent-a-cops?

As a reservist who doesn't want to spend his fall standing in an open sewer with an M-16, I welcome the arrival of private security firms to the New Orleans area.

Of course, if you want to make this problem better, you'd go out and join the National Guard to prevent the government from having to use private security. So, would your refusal to join the Guard and go to the open sewer of New Orleans make you a browntrouthawk?

Blackwater isn't even in the same relm as $10 security. I will say that there are a lot of security compainies involved in the area and I'm sure part of it is companies tring to protect properties in the area. So? If the companies can afford to do so it will free up NG and locals for other tasks. (Not disagreeing with anything but the rent a cop statment)

RustyShackelford

I'm lost

April 2005

SEP 10, 2005 09:26 PM

Generally a private company is going to make better decisions and make them more quickly than Leviathan (the government in general). Also if they do something wrong they might actually be held accountable unlike government officials.