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04 May 2011 12:36

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U.S.: Blackwater (er, Xe) turns the page … with John Ashcroft?

  • problem Xe Services, better known as Blackwater, has had some major PR problems ever since a 2007 shooting where Iraqi civilians died at the hands of the company’s private contractors. It led in part to their name change.
  • solution The company has hired John Ashcroft, the former Attorney General under Bush forever tied to his counterterrorism efforts, as an independent director. Really? Is that the right guy to rehab your long-damaged image? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2010 11:18

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World: Private security firms (i.e. Blackwater) blocked from Afghanistan

  • 8 firms were banned, including the infamous Blackwater, er Xe source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Sep 2010 10:17

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U.S.: Blackwater, er, Xe, apparently gamed the system for contracts

  • 31 affiliates of Blackwater helped them get CIA contracts source
  • » Why this is bad: Blackwater is still managing to get federal money despite their rep cemented by that incident where a bunch of Iraqi civilians got killed. They’ve made $600 million from classified contracts, according to one government official, and just got another $100 million to provide security at Afghan bases. And they’re doing it in such a way as to stay low profile in hopes that nobody notices it’s the same company. Guess that didn’t work.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2010 14:35

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World: Blackwater (remember them?) nailed for export violations in Iraq

  • $42M the amount the former Blackwater (now Xe) had to pay for export violations
  • 288 the number of defense-related violations Blackwater was cited for between 2003 to 2009
  • 17 the number of Iraqis that died in a controversial Blackwater-caused incident in 2007 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jan 2010 17:40

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U.S., World: The U.S. isn’t letting Blackwater remain above the law in Iraq

  • The U.S. plans to appeal the decision to clear Blackwater in a 2007 shooting. A few weeks ago, our boys at Blackwater (now called Xe to avoid self-created negative connotations) were cleared of any wrongdoing in a shooting that killed 17 innocent Iraqi citizens. The decision sparked controversy, and the U.S. government now plans to appeal it. The Iraqi government has not been happy about this entire situation, BTW. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2010 10:52

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U.S., World: Iraq isn’t taking the Blackwater court decision lying down

  • win Blackwater won its criminal suit, saying they weren’t liable for a shooting that killed 14 Iraqi citizens and injured many others.
  • lose The Iraqi government, upset over this, plans to help out victims’ families in civil suits and ask for a review of the criminal case. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jan 2010 11:55

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World: Blackwater bull*#^@: Iraqis stunned by U.S. court decision

  • What are we — not human? Why do they have the right to kill people? Is our blood so cheap? For America, the land of justice and law, what does it mean to let criminals go? They were chasing me and shooting at me. They were determined to kill me.
  • Blackwater victim Abdul Wahab Adul Khader • On his anger with a decision by a U.S. federal court to dismiss criminal charges against the company, which shot him in the hand in an attack on Sept. 16, 2007. The attack left 17 dead and 27 wounded. Many Iraqis interviewed were in disbelief by the decision, which some referred to as the continuation of a cover-up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Dec 2009 12:06

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World: Blackwater’s relationship with the CIA became a bit too complex

  • It became a very brotherly relationship. There was a feeling that Blackwater eventually became an extension of the agency.
  • A former top CIA officer • Describing the relationship between the CIA and the private Blackwater firm. The firm, which has been under fire for years for its actions during the Iraq war, was involved in secret CIA raids, according to the New York Times. Apparently, this relationship got so cozy that lines started to blur between the federal and private organizations. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2009 23:23

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U.S., World: Know that secret CIA operation? Blackwater was helping out

  • The goal: Kill al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq. Blackwater (now called Xe), which had a huge role in the Iraq conflict for years only to see it fall under the weight of criticism, apparently was involved in that secret CIA operation which freaked out Leon Panetta. The reason Panetta reacted the way he did was due to the fact that private company was involved. That’s right, the CIA had an agreement with American citizens (with no military ties) to find and kill al-Qaeda leadership. We had to write it out to make sure we understood the ramifications of that statement. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2009 15:31

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Biz, U.S., World: How do you fix a war-tarnished brand name? Two letters.

  • Xe security firm Blackwater’s new (dumb) name for itself source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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