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View Full Version : Blackwater and Letters of Marque




Mesogen
09-21-2007, 04:58 PM
Ron Paul says he favors usage of Letters of Marque and Reprisal to hunt for terrorists in foreign countries. Does anyone know his opinion of using mercenary forces like Blackwater USA to accomplish this? Would he issue Letters of Marque to such "companies."

dircha
09-21-2007, 07:03 PM
Ron Paul says he favors usage of Letters of Marque and Reprisal to hunt for terrorists in foreign countries. Does anyone know his opinion of using mercenary forces like Blackwater USA to accomplish this? Would he issue Letters of Marque to such "companies."

I do not believe Ron Paul has commented on using Blackwater USA in particular, but authorizing a private militia or mercenary company such as Blackwater USA is exactly Paul's intent.

Following is the Bill he introduced in 2001, authorizing the President to issue letters of marque and reprisal for Osama Bin Laden and his co-conspirators:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:H.R.+3076:_blank

Paul's insightful historical analogy to piracy is spot on, but, like most of our history, is completely lost on the majority of our representatives.

constituent
09-21-2007, 07:38 PM
that's my bug too.

Johnnybags
09-21-2007, 07:44 PM
There are 180,000(more than US troops) mercenaries in Iraq on the US taxpayer dole. They make way more than the poor troops. So we actually have a troop force of 340,000 or so and Bush is gonna let 5,000 go home?


And Blackwater guys are owned by a Christian right dude that donates tons to the Neocons? Looks like we have a stealth crusades going on?

eted
09-22-2007, 10:20 AM
That's all well and good, but what about the slaughter of civilians? Would this bill cover abuses by such private forces better than they are covered now (that's being too fair I think, Blackwater literally gets to kill as many civilians as they want and get away with it without any accountability at all - so does the Bush White House).

pdavis
09-22-2007, 12:42 PM
That's all well and good, but what about the slaughter of civilians? Would this bill cover abuses by such private forces better than they are covered now (that's being too fair I think, Blackwater literally gets to kill as many civilians as they want and get away with it without any accountability at all - so does the Bush White House).

Letters of Marque and Reprisal WOULD hold privateers or mercenaries accountable for their actions. These letters would force them to follow both constitutional and international laws since they are being authorized or deputized to only search, seize, and/ or destroy the enemy and their property in the name of the government. In other words try and think of letters of marque and reprisal as more of a search warrant and short of a declaration of war.

Mesogen
09-22-2007, 03:20 PM
Maybe a president would do better if he issued the Letter to a less notorious company.