RADICAL BUSH REGIME STICKS WITH THEIR MERCENARIES

Even as the military justice system and the Pentagon try to figure out how to deal with criminal behavior by mercenaries in Iraq-- and by all accounts, except Chris Shays', criminal behavior has been rampant-- the Bush Regime announced yesterday, just as the media was getting ready for a lazy weekend, that they have renewed their deal with the private Republican militia, Blackwater.

The company, based in Moyock, N.C., is under investigation by the FBI in connection with a Sept. 16 incident in which its security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. Questions have been raised about whether the shootings were justified and if they violated the rules under which contractors may use deadly force in Iraq.

Blackwater [whose fascist owner is a huge GOP donor] has received more than $1 billion in federal business since 2000, according to Eagle Eye, a research company that monitors contract spending. Its agreement to provide security for U.S. diplomats, and bodyguards and armed drivers to escort government officials outside Baghdad's Green Zone, was set to expire next month.

Iraqi officials have called for the ouster of Blackwater. The State and Defense departments have put in place more stringent oversight of private security contractors, such as coordinating their movement with the military and making sure they know the rules of engagement, an official with the State Department said.

One of my neighbors runs a high profile project for the U.S. Government in Baghdad. He refused to continue his work there until the government agreed to use other bodyguards instead of Blackwater. He told me that the Blackwater personnel go out of their way to aggravate relations with Iraqis and are the most hated symbol of the U.S. occupation. He told me that traveling outside the Green Zone with Blackwater marks you as an enemy of Iraq.