Judge tosses Blackwater case in Baghdad shooting
January 1st, 2010 . by TexasFredWASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge dismissed all charges Thursday against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in a crowded Baghdad intersection in 2007.Citing repeated government missteps, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed a case that had been steeped in international politics. The shooting in busy Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. The Iraqi government wanted the guards to face trial in Iraq and officials there said they would closely watch how the U.S. judicial system handled the case.
Urbina said the prosecutors ignored the advice of senior Justice Department officials and built their case on sworn statements that had been given under a promise of immunity. Urbina said that violated the guards’ constitutional rights. He dismissed the government’s explanations as “contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility.”
“We’re obviously disappointed by the decision,” Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said. “We’re still in the process of reviewing the opinion and considering our options.”
Prosecutors can appeal the ruling.
Full Story Here:
Judge tosses Blackwater case in Baghdad shooting
When does the U.S. government come to it’s senses and drop the charges against the U.S. Navy SEALs? Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist.
Something is terribly wrong in this nation. Our fighting men are being persecuted for doing their jobs. Our soldiers are being forced to operate under a set of *Rules of Engagement* that is getting them killed. And it’s all done in the name of *political correctness*.
Blackwater contractors had been hired to guard U.S. diplomats in Iraq. The guards said insurgents ambushed them in a traffic circle. Prosecutors said the men unleashed an unprovoked attack on civilians using machine guns and grenades.
Our leaders are afraid to let our troops kill the enemies we face in Iraq, Afghanistan and God only knows where else we may be operating . Our so-called leaders are afraid that by doing so, that by addressing those enemies, and killing them in great numbers, numbers that would equate to a clear and total victory, we may offend the enemies of this nation.
Offending the enemies of this nation is the least of our worries. What are we going to do? Make Islam hate *The Great Satan* even more?
They can’t hate us any more than they already do. Islam wants to wipe out ALL Christians and Jews simply because we won’t submit to their antiquated beliefs and bow to the moon god of Arabia. Offend them? We need to be doing a lot more than offending them.
We didn’t start this war, the actions of 9-11, and other previous attacks on this nation, our troops and our interests is what started this war. And you don’t win a WAR by playing nice!
Urbina’s ruling does not resolve whether the shooting was proper. Rather, the 90-page opinion underscores some of the conflicting evidence in the case. Some Blackwater guards told prosecutors they were concerned about the shooting and offered to cooperate. Others said the convoy had been attacked. By the time the FBI began investigating, Nisoor Square had been picked clean of bullets that might have proven whether there had been a firefight or a massacre.
I am going to point something out that ANY person that has ever gone over and played in the sand box can readily verify.
The difference between a radical insurgent jihadist, intent on killing you, and a peaceful person, non-combatant, indigenous to the area is this: HOW FAST can he empty his AK-47 and then hide it, thereby looking like the innocent victim. That’s about it.
