U.S.: Blackwater Immunity Won't Halt Probe

Prosecution Of Guards Accused Of Killing Iraqi Civilians Will Proceed, State Department Says

(CBS/AP)  Limited immunity has been routinely offered to private security contractors involved in shootings in Iraq, State Department officials said Tuesday, denying such actions jeopardized criminal prosecution of Blackwater USA guards accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to discuss specifics of the agency's role in the investigation, but said any immunity deals should not stop the Justice Department from prosecuting.

"It's up to the investigators and prosecutors to determine what kind of case they have ... and ultimately whether to bring prosecution," McCormack told reporters.

The immunity deals, first reported by The Associated Press, have delayed the U.S. criminal inquiry of the Sept. 16 shootings that has enraged Iraqis.

Senior law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said the legal protections offered by the State Department could derail prosecution if investigators are unable to unearth other evidence from a crime scene now six weeks old.

In Baghdad, the Iraqi government approved draft legislation lifting immunity for foreign private security companies - one of the nation's most serious disputes with the U.S. since last month's shooting. Iraq is demanding the right to launch its own prosecution of the Blackwater bodyguards despite the company's insistence they acted in self-defense.

Additionally, Democratic leaders in Congress demanded answers about the immunity deal as House Government Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman called it "an egregious misjudgment."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, who sits on two Senate panels that oversee the State Department and the Justice Department, called the immunity deal an example of "the amnesty administration."

"In this administration, accountability goes by the boards," said Leahy. "That goes equally for misconduct and for incompetence. If you get caught, they will get you immunity. If you get convicted, they will commute your sentence."

The shooting investigation was initiated by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security hours after the attack. The inquiry was turned over to the FBI in early October after Justice Department prosecutors realized that the Blackwater bodyguards' statements could not be used in court.

At the State Department, McCormack said "these kinds of issues are not new." He said Justice Department officials "can take steps to work around" any limited immunity agreements. "They provide limited protections that would not preclude a successful criminal prosecution," he said.

A second senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing inquiry, said the agency has for years required its security contractors to give written statements within hours of any so-called "use of deadly force" in Iraq.

Waivers granting a security worker limited immunity - by barring those statements in a criminal case against the worker - are a "routine part" of the investigations by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the official said.

The waiver given to Blackwater guards reads, in part: "I further understand that neither my statements nor any information or evidence gained by reason of my statements can be used against me in a criminal proceeding, except that if I knowingly and willfully provide false statements or information, I may be criminally prosecuted for that action."

It's not clear whether the waivers were ever authorized by the Justice Department, which decides whether cases are prosecuted. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell declined comment about whether the immunity waivers were part of the security firm's contract with the State Department.

Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said prosecution was still possible, despite "knowing that this investigation involves a number of complex issues."

The Sept. 16 shootings in west Baghdad's Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and prompted still-unanswered questions about who fired first. Blackwater has said its convoy was already under attack before it opened fire.

A follow-up investigation by the Iraqi government, concluded that Blackwater's men were unprovoked. No witnesses have been found to contradict that finding.

An initial report by U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Iraq, indicates "no enemy activity involved" in the incident. The report says Blackwater guards were traveling against the flow of traffic through a traffic circle when they "engaged five civilian vehicles with small arms fire" at a distance of 50 meters.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, trying to soothe growing public anger over the Blackwater shootings, has promised to push through legislation to make all foreign private security contractors in Iraq subject to the nation's criminal laws.

On Tuesday, his government sent the Iraqi parliament a measure overturning an immunity order known as Decree 17 that was issued by L. Paul Bremer, who ran the American occupation government until June 2004.

Under the legislation, all security companies would be subject to the Iraqi criminal law and must obey all the country's legal regulations. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said she had not seen the measure and had no immediate comment.

The White House had very little to say about the matter. President Bush ignored a question on the arrangement shouted after his meeting with the president of Uganda. And his spokeswoman dodged most questions about it at her daily briefing with reporters, referring them to the State Department.

"It is under review," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "Anyone who has engaged in criminal behavior will be prosecuted."

[terrorislam4]

I STAND WITH THE DANES

FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM IS
Persona non grata

Exclusive: Salute the Danish Flag! - It%u2019s a Symbol of Western Freedom By Susan MacAllen
In Denmark, once-liberal immigration policies have forced huge governmental change and zero tolerance for Muslim immigrants intent on turning Denmark into an Islamic welfare haven. FSM Contributing Editor Susan MacAllen reveals a shocking reaction there and lessons America must learn.
http://familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=1172085

[oldprophet]

You get the sense that our country is desperate for someone to show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas of Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to sound economics. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he attends a Baptist church. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. Whenever he recollects the helicopter pilots he treated as an Air Force Flight Surgeon (Captain) during the Vietnam War, a war which he now says was "totally unnecessary and illegal," he laments, "They were gung-ho. I%u2019ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and proven track record of adherance to The Constitution, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[oldprophet]

I support Ron Paul and his non-interventionist foreign policy. Hitlery wants to continue our illegal police action in Iraq until at least 2013, and she does not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Ron Paul voted against our (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,400 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal immigrants and bring our troops home. No war should ever be fought without a Declaration of War voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we too become despised.

[terrorislam4]

HEROES HEROES HEROES HEROS HEROES

they have done an excellent job,,, not one of the people they guarded has died while 32 of their own have,,,

they are not wearing uniforms so they all claim to be civilians when they are not,,,

if you do not want to be shot,,, stay away from convoys,,, simple as that,,,

[terrorislam4]

more terrorislam sponsored genocide

Thinktank accuses Saudi regime over hate literature

The controversial state visit of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which got under way today with a lavish ceremony, has prompted new criticism over his regime''''s alleged role in distributing hate literature in British mosques.
The Policy Exchange thinktank found extremist literature in a quarter of the 100 mosques and Islamic institutions it visited, including London Central Mosque in Regent''''s Park, which is funded by Saudi Arabia.

Some of the literature advocated violent jihad, murdering gay people and stoning adulterers, its researchers found.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,,2201805,00.html

[terrorislam4]

LOOK WHO IS TARGETING CIVILIANS!!!

Qaeda warns of attacks ''worse than 9/11''
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070530102648.wuwa6k96&show_article=1

Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out ''Martyrdom'' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD154907

Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp

But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.

"It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.

Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.

The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108

[usaprophet]

I support Ron Paul and his non-interventionist foreign policy. Hitlery wants to continue our illegal police action in Iraq until at least 2013, and she does not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Ron Paul voted against the the (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal immigrants and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised.

[usaprophet]

I don''t know about you, but I''m sick of no-win pseudo-wars, like The War on Drugs and The War on Terrorism. I''m sick of undeclared wars like The War in Iraq and unnecessary and protracted police actions like the one in Korea. I''m sick of income taxes, which are unconstitutional because they are are a direct tax and are not equally apportioned as the Constitution requires. I''m sick of back door national ID cards like The Real ID Act. I''m sick of warrantless domestic spying by the Department of Homeland Insecurity and the loss of my civil liberties as a result of Draconian, fear-based Laws with oxymoronic names like The Patrot Act. I''m sick of secret offshore prisons like the one in Guantanamo, where our government tortures prisoners, who have no right to redress of grievance, or to writ of habeus corpus. I''m also sick of the Federal Reserve (a secret group of private banks) manipulation of our worthless, fiat currency. Do yourself a favor. Support the 2008 candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul for President of The United States. I believe he''s our only hope to restore peace, prosperity and freedom in this country. Presidential candidates with the personal integrity and the consistent track record of adherance to our Constitution that Ron Paul has demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky. The stakes are too high, and the cause of freedom is too important to let anything stand in the way of our participation in this 21st Century political revolution. Go Ron Paul!

[regkearney]

If Bush and Cheney leave Washington unimpeached it will be a travesty. The litany of earlier excesses---from starting what can irrefutably be regarded as Bush''s war to spying on Americans---have been well-documented. This administration which cited Saddam Hussein''s murdering of his own people as one of the offenses for which young Americans were sent to Iraq to bring about "regime change" grants immunity to Americans who murder unarmed Iraqi civilians. This same administration sends up for nomination as Attorney General to replace one discredited a man who cannot understand that water-boarding is torture (perhaps the Senate should have him undergo the experience as a condition of employment). The Bush-Cheney moral compass is not askew; it''s non-existent. They and all the Republicans who have served as their Praetorian guards will not escape the opprobrium of their malfeasance

[usaprophet]

I don''t know about you, but I''m sick of no-win pseudo-wars, like The War on Drugs and The War on Terrorism. I''m sick of undeclared wars like The War in Iraq and unnecessary and protracted police actions like the one in Korea. I''m sick of income taxes, which are unconstitutional because they are are a direct tax and are not equally apportioned as the Constitution requires. I''m sick of back door national ID cards like The Real ID Act. I''m sick of warrantless domestic spying by the Department of Homeland Insecurity and the loss of my civil liberties as a result of Draconian, fear-based Laws with oxymoronic names like The Patrot Act. I''m sick of secret offshore prisons like the one in Guantanamo, where our government tortures prisoners, who have no right to redress of grievance, or to writ of habeus corpus. I''m also sick of the Federal Reserve (a secret group of private banks) manipulation of our worthless, fiat currency. Do yourself a favor. Support the 2008 candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul for President of The United States. I believe he''s our only hope to restore peace, prosperity and freedom in this country. Presidential candidates with the personal integrity and the consistent track record of adherance to our Constitution that Ron Paul has demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky. The stakes are too high, and the cause of freedom is too important to let anything stand in the way of our participation in this 21st Century political revolution. Go Ron Paul!