Blackwater Has Carte Blanche



Blackwater truly has carte blanche.

In one modern usage of the term, it means "unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority."

Blackwater has basically argued that it is not subject to any legal authority. Just days before J. Paul Bremer skedaddled from Baghdad and closed up the Coalition Provisional Authority, he issued Order 17, which made private security contractors immune from Iraqi law. Blackwater has declared that its employees are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because they are civilians. At the same time, it has claimed immunity from U.S. civil legislation on the grounds that its members are part of the U.S. Total Force.

So, this week, the Blackwater team escorting a State Department convoy shot up a bunch of Iraqi civilians, killing at least 11. The eyewitnesses said no one besides Blackwater was shooting. The Iraqi government was irate. The company says its guards reacted "lawfully and appropriately" to an attack.

Isn't it disingenuous to argue first that no laws apply to your organization, and then to defend its actions on the grounds that they were lawful? Seems a bit circular.

Another modern usage of carte blanche is as a synonym for "blank check." Blackwater's contract with the State Department was and is lucrative. 30% of the Iraq Reconstruction funds went to private security firms. Henry Waxman claims that the State Department's IG, Howard Krongard has actively obstructed investigations of Blackwater practices and State Department expenditures. Howard's brother, A.B. Krongard, is the guy who got Blackwater their first government contract.

However, the original carte blanche which emerged in 18th century France was written authority in the name of the king to take any action, without need to trouble the king with knowledge of those actions before or after. In Dumas' novel, The Three Musketeers , Cardinal Richelieu handed out cards on which were written:

Dec. 3, 1627

It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done.

Richelieu

With a little tweaking and padding, Richelieu's card sounds like many of the Bush policies and speeches. It is certainly their position on Blackwater.

Why does Blackwater get such unlimited support and protection from the Bush government?

Blackwater.
Carte blanche.

Posted: Thu - September 20, 2007 at 06:37 PM        

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