Blackwater and other mercenaries must be stopped

More than 22,000 mercenaries are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. These unaccountable hired guns have shot civilians and participated in torture at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities, thus putting to risk our service men and women in the harm's way. Of these mercenaries, the greatest harm done to our national security and international image is that of the Blackwater, which now goes by the name Xe Corp. It is the poster child for everything that's wrong with military contractors. They've killed civilians, they've stolen weapons, they've billed the U.S. government for a prostitute, and they've changed their name multiple times to they can keep getting contracts.

The "Stop Outsourcing Security Act", introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the House (H.R. 4650) and Bernie Sanders in the Senate (S. 3023), would prohibit hiring private mercenaries like Blackwater to perform tasks traditionally done by the military. Both the Houses must pass these resolutions so that we can stop groups like the Blackwater from waging war in our name with little regard for anything beyond their bottom line.

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