Oversight

The New York Times reported today that F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause

Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military officials briefed on the case.

Earlier this year, Congressman David Price, a Democrat from the NC 4th district pushed a provision that was included in the Defense Bill. The bill provides more “transparency and accountability in the government’s use of armed contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The Price provision would strengthen this bill and enable Congress with the ability to provide more oversight of these contractors.

Today on WUNC radio, Catherine Brand interviewed Congressman Price about the letter he sent to Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice asking for further inquiry into the incident. ( listen to the full interview here ) In the interview, Con. Price asks, “ If it turns out that Sec. Rice is not able to prosecute this case, do we cede jurisdiction to the Iraqi courts? We’ll be credible only if we have some way of bringing these people justice. Assuming that the investigation will provide that this is a prosecutable case, if not, the problem remains to be addressed at a later date…..If it turns out that they are not subject to US Civilian law, what are they subject to?”

Congressman Price ended the interview with this opinion, “If the investigation does reveal that the Blackwater contractors were in the wrong what will happen? In the past they would be fired and expelled from Iraq, this is not good enough for this case. The Iraqi government is asserting itself by saying we’re going to take charge of this. It doesn’t play into the suspension that these contract personnel are trigger happy, been shooting up crowds of civilians. Unfortunately reinforcing that narrative has the potential to jeopardize our mission and our troops.”

Democratic US Rep. Brad Miller, NC-13, wants to stop the Bush Administration’s pattern of replacing sound science and expert knowledge with political judgments that benefit corporate special interests.

As the chairman of the House Science and Technology subcommittee, Miller is fighting the Bush Administration’s attempt to decide who will have the most influence over writing rules that protect the health and safety of our citizens.

Click here to read about Miller’s efforts in the Washington Post.



Front-paged by Anglico

In Today's Editorial in the New York Times, a bold position is being taken:

from the NY Times Editorial "On Tuesday, when this page runs the list of people it has endorsed for election, we will include no Republican Congressional candidates for the first time in our memory. Although Times editorials tend to agree with Democrats on national policy, we have proudly and consistently endorsed a long line of moderate Republicans, particularly for the House. Our only political loyalty is to making the two-party system as vital and responsible as possible.

That is why things are different this year."