Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
The incredible thing is that even after scandal after scandal, Blackwater (now Xe) is still being considered for and given huge contracts by the government. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan is trying to prevent that from happening again in Afghanistan:
A senior Senate Democrat said Thursday the Pentagon should consider barring Blackwater, now called Xe Services, from a new $1 billion deal to train Afghan police because of "serious questions" about the contractor's conduct.The comments by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin suggests thinning patience in Congress for the Pentagon's heavy reliance on contractors on the battlefield.
And the activity that got them thrown out of Iraq -- being trigger happy and killing civilians without provocation -- continues in Afghanistan:
But the outsourcing has made it more difficult for military commanders to control what happens on the battlefield.In one recent incident in Afghanistan, two contractors tied to Blackwater allegedly killed two Afghan civilians and injured a third. U.S. officials say the May 2009 shooting damaged relations with the local population.
The Pentagon is looking to award a $1 billion contract for training Afghan troops, a job that should be done by the military, not by mercenary companies out to make a buck.
Politics
Comments
Ed,
It's far worse than that. If even half of the allegations are true, they aren't just out to make a buck, but are intentionally trying to make relations worse, intentionally killing innocents for their religious beliefs, intentionally trying to escalate the regional conflict to force the conflict into line with their bizarre religious beliefs. On top of that they're willing to cheat, lie, and steal to enhance their profits.
Again, if the accusations against this company are true, it's far worse than a bunch of mercs makin' money.
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 11, 2010 9:17 AM
Didn't the British have similar problems in managing India many, many years ago?
You would think we could learn from them.
Posted by: Jim Ramsey | March 11, 2010 9:34 AM
It's about time someone tried to do something. Any bets on which Republican will be the first to call Levin a traitor and claim that he is making America less safe by coddling the terrorist. Or better yet, any bets on which senator from the United States Senate Armed Services Committee is going to say the stupidest thing? I'm going to guess that it's going to be Saxby Chambliss to be the first to suggest that this is all politically motivated and that ACORN is responsible. But with Inhofe, Sessions, Vitter and Graham in the field, the race for the stupid is wide open.
Posted by: Holytape | March 11, 2010 9:38 AM
American military and law-enforcement personnel are among the best-trained, most professional, and most effective on Earth. I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that only one company is able to provide that sort of talent to the Pentagon at sufficient levels to accomplish any reasonable objective.
And why is the Pentagon so Hell-bent on giving money to people they admit they can't control? Are our troops being betrayed from above?
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 11, 2010 10:17 AM
Senator Levin should be mindful of Americans "thinning patience" for the status quo in Washington politicians.
I find it disturbing that our media can recycle the same article time and time again, adding their own tidbits of half truths, until it's become so diluted with heresay, the truth is invisible to the naked eye. Were there random acts of vioence by Blackwater contractors?. Absolutely. Is this the mentality of the company? No. You have some "idiot cowboys" overseas who's actions while tragic, are isolated incidents. Those actions are not part of an OPM, or training course. They are random acts of violence.
Perhaps we should cut Federal and State funding to Columbine Schools,(no disrespect to families intended)for their stupid mistakes. Should we stop funding the US Postal Service? They even have their own catchphrase.
Should we close all Goverment offices, where random acts of violence have occurred?
Fact is you have a Company that is very proficient at what they do, who have been publicly flogged by many. Because of the actions of a few.
Let it go already and lets take care of the real criminals in D.C.
Vote them out!
Posted by: Bob | March 11, 2010 10:29 AM
I've had a dark thought whenever this stuff comes up. The idea that the only way out of us privatizing our military completely is when some of these motherfucking mercenary assholes accidentally kills a significant amount of real soldiers. The funny thing is, despite how much the reich-wing loves 24, I can totally see Erik Prince (head of Xe) being a villian on the show. I know we can't assassinate foreign heads of state, but couldn't we have a training exercise mistake right over his house? Like a fuel-air bomb kind of mistake?
Posted by: Rob Monkey | March 11, 2010 10:30 AM
Fact not in evidence.
Posted by: gwangung | March 11, 2010 10:30 AM
So Bob, how long have you worked for Blackwater? - Dingo
Posted by: DingoJAck | March 11, 2010 10:33 AM
Yeah, Bob, they're really proficient at "what they do." What they do, of course is bilk taxpayers out of shitloads of money and then either don't do the work, or do it in the shittiest way possible, all while charging us ten times or more what it would have cost to have soldiers doing it. Too bad "what they do" isn't actually good for us, or we might not mind them destroying our reputation. Try actually looking up what the mentality of this company is before you defend them, AFAIK, Prince has been on record saying that this is a war between Islam and Xtianity, which is a stupid thing for anyone to say, let alone the guy heading the merc company that murders civilians in the name of the almighty dollar.
Posted by: Rob Monkey | March 11, 2010 10:35 AM
Rob Monkey - "I know we can't assassinate foreign heads of state..." You could always hire Mossad, they seem to a bang-up job - oh wait... ;) - Dingo
Posted by: DingoJack | March 11, 2010 10:37 AM
I find it disturbing that our media can recycle the same article time and time again, adding their own tidbits of half truths...
Not as disturbing as Bob's recycling the same empty, content-free, defensive hyperbole time and time again, with absolutely no citations or specific factual references.
Let it go already and lets take care of the real criminals in D.C. Vote them out!
We already did, remember? But we still have their mess to clean up.
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 11, 2010 10:48 AM
Bob, the senator was reelected with just under 63% of the vote. That is up from his 61% of the vote in 2002 and 58% of the vote in 1996.
Now, what does this idiotic comment have to do with the question at hand? Politicians should stay silent regarding the ethical and legal actions of government contractors because it could cost them votes? That's an asinine comment to begin with, it borders on moronic when you actually think through what you're saying in regards to the actual job of a member of congress. Try thinking for a change, you might find you like it.
Actually there are numerous separate reports of violence (almost 200 in Iraq alone), of contract padding (false expense reports, phony use of equipment, etc.), of questionable ethics, and dangerous motives (crusade, etc.). If these activities were going on in government agencies, as you later suggest in your comment, yes, I would agree that the agencies responsible should be investigated.
Given that the Iraqi government and the United Nations, in addition to Senator Levin, are all pushing for Blackwater/Xe to be barred from service, investigated, charged, etc., you honestly want us to believe that all of this is based on two "recycled" incidents? Just five minutes of searching on the internet proved that claim false. Now the question is, are you lying, or are you delusional?
Who precisely are these "criminals" you want to vote out? Care to list names?
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 11, 2010 10:59 AM
DJ, I think I'd let them borrow my passport for the job, but unfortunately there's probaby not a lot of ginger Mossad agents who could pass for me ;)
I heard they ate al-Mabhouh's room service while they did it. Maybe just a rumor, but for some reason I can't decide if that's a horrible commentary on their humanity, or just kinda hilarious. Like they have one really fat assassin who's always eating, like Fatbot on Futurama.
Posted by: Rob Monkey | March 11, 2010 11:07 AM
"Die, al-Mabhouh, we are the mighty Mossad, and now prepare to - Ohh look a mini-bar!" - Dingo
Posted by: DingoJack | March 11, 2010 11:11 AM
tsk...tsk...tsk..
idiots..
Posted by: Bob | March 11, 2010 12:12 PM
Let me get this straight. Congress voted to defund Acorn based on innuendo and out right lies and there isn't enough proof of Xe's bad behavior to stop giving them huge contracts?
I love the way this game is played.
Posted by: HeartlessB | March 11, 2010 12:13 PM
HeartlessB, you dress as the pimp, I'll work the camera, we'll get Xe indicted yet!
Posted by: Rob Monkey | March 11, 2010 12:39 PM
I believe I agree with HeartlessB, but from the other direction. Since. We don't want to hold ACORN responsible for the acts of stupid employees, there has to be something more than anecdotal evidence and allegations to justify preventing Xe from bidding on this contract. And from an objective standpoint, there may not be a better bidder on paper for this sort of task. Is there any recognized process to ban a company from gov't contracts? If so, can we get busy and get Xe put on that list properly?
Posted by: BobApril | March 11, 2010 12:40 PM
BobApril, ACORN is most often the victim of those stupid employees, who cheat to get paid for work they didn't do and the harm to others is generally minimal to non-existent. ACORN reacts by firing them, alerting the authorities, and providing evidence against them. With Xe’s stupid employees, the victims tend to be innocent civilians and the harm is extreme, including death. Xe reacts by obfuscating events, obstructing justice, and protecting the stupid employees from consequences. These things are not equivalent.
Posted by: Abby Normal | March 11, 2010 1:00 PM
Translation: "I ain't got shit"
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 11, 2010 1:30 PM
Translation: "I ain't got shit"
Posted by: prisonbitch2010 | March 11, 2010 1:30 PM
It means your not worth the time Junior.
Posted by: Bob | March 11, 2010 1:46 PM
Bob, #5: They are random acts of violence.
If only the rightwing nut-o-sphere was as understanding about random acts of voter registration fraud committed by ACORN employees.
Posted by: Chiroptera | March 11, 2010 1:54 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!eleventy-one11!! See, dogmeat, how he made your name into "prison bitch?" Hil-fucking-larious! Goddamn, and I was disagreeing with Bob, but he really brought the big guns to town today! And he called you Junior besides (recommended response: "My name is Indiana"). Seriously douchebag? That's what you're going to bother typing and posting? I mean you obviously have nothing interesting to say, given the "tsk" comment (a waste of electrons if there ever was one). Maybe Prince is convincing him to post here by giving him one of those underage Iraqi girls the Blackwater guys enjoyed so much . . .
Posted by: Rob Monkey | March 11, 2010 3:13 PM
@ Holytape
Saxby Chambliss is a classic cowardly chicken-hawk. From WikiPedia:
"During the Vietnam War, Chambliss received five student deferments and was also given a medical deferment (1-Y) for bad knees due to a football injury."
He then had the unmitigated gall to paint Max Cleland as some sort of terrorist sympathizer in the process of taking his Senate seat. Max Cleland lost 3 limbs in service to his country in Vietnam. Chambliss is a gutless turd bereft of honor.
@ Bob
This is ScienceBlogs, facts rule. If you have some, share them and try to persuade with logic. Pontification marks you as a troll.
The problem with Blackwater's operations is that they are completely unaccountable to anyone. Our soldiers have been prosecuted (rightfully) for failure to follow the rules of war and their own rules of engagement. Blackwater was beyond anyone's reach. I would argue that it is this lack of accountability that most angered the Iraqis.
It was mistakes made by Blackwater that led us into Fallujah for the second time. Remember the four guys dragged through the streets and set ablaze? Blackwater. They drove through Fallujah instead of around (like they were supposed to) and got ambushed. In went the Marines. The bottom line is that they are viewed as defacto extensions of the American military and yet are not accountable and their actions have a direct affect on how we are perceived.
Posted by: The Gregarious Misanthrope | March 11, 2010 3:19 PM
Only in the mind of a conservative could challenging a powerful, irresponsible and unaccountable corporation be "maintaining the status quo in Washington".
Posted by: Der Bruno Stroszek | March 11, 2010 3:29 PM
It means your not worth the time Junior.
So how much time did Bob spend coming all the way here to tell us we weren't worth his time?
Posted by: Raging Bee | March 11, 2010 3:39 PM
Awwww, Bob's so adorable when he's being condescending like that. I just want to pinch his little cheeks.
Posted by: TSFN | March 11, 2010 7:38 PM
They actually did that, last season. Of course it was a fictionalized version, but pretty blatant -- Blackwater became "Starkwood".
Posted by: Nemo | March 11, 2010 8:05 PM
Awww, how sweet. I'm sorry, I appreciate your offer of jailhouse love, but I'm straight.
Aww c'mon, at least you could throw in an all caps, a reference to God, faux patriotism, some reference to your toughness, a threat of violence, or something that elevates this response to at least a D- trolling. Otherwise I'm going to have to give you a FAIL "junior."
Posted by: dogmeatib | March 11, 2010 9:08 PM
Since we're grading Bob's comments, -5 points for incorrect usage of "your." He should have written "you're." Also, there should have been a comma before "Junior." Lastly, "Junior" should have been "junior" since it is being used as a pejorative and not a proper name, kind of like "assclown" vs. "Assclown."
Congratulations, Bob, you've packed a great deal of FAIL into one sentence. Final tally: F+
Posted by: The Gregarious Misanthrope | March 11, 2010 10:42 PM