In a move likely to cause a new round of controversy as well as resentment within Iraq, the US Court of Appeals today threw out the lone first-degree murder conviction related to the 2007 Nisour Square Massacre, and also overturned the sentences of other former Blackwater mercenaries involved, who had been convicted of manslaughter.
The Nisour Square massacre of September 16 of 2007 was a major turning point in the Iraqi public’s view of the US occupation, and led to an outright ban on the use of US military contractors by the Iraqi government. During the incident, Blackwater employees attacked and killed 14 Iraqi civilians, and wounded 17 others.
Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder over the massacre, with court documents showing he bragged about the killings being a “payback for 9/11.” The Appeals Court says he should have been tried separately from the other three Blackwater employees.
Those three, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard, got lesser sentences for manslaughter and attempted manslaughter on the grounds that Slatten fired first and they simply joined in. The court, however, insists the sentences for these three amount for spraying gunfire and throwing grenades into a crowd of civilians amounts to unconstitutional “cruel and unusual punishment,” with one of the judges saying it was “poor judgement” that led to the massacre.
The killers walk, and Joe the Plumber wonders why people don’t trust America.
All this does is tell the world what it already knows- that the USA “leaders” could care less about the human impact of USA actions around the world. The USA considers people that it kills to be less than human and not worthy of being protected by international laws. if the USA hopes to win over the world in one way or another, this is one sure way to put a quick stop to those plans!
Here’s a questions to consider- How many Americans would fight back if they or their loved ones became victims of USA aggression in another land? In other words, how many would become :”terrorists” if they were violated like the USA has been violating people for so long now? If the USA is going to term ANYONE who opposes USA actions a “terrorist”, then AT LEAST 90% of the world’s population would be “terrorists”! It’s the power elite against the rest of us “terrorists”!
Right, so if a bunch of Wackenhut security guards here in the US open fire at an intersection and throw grenades, that will just be “poor judgement” and not manslaughter?
They were convicted by a jury of their peers. Not even one Iraqi on the jury. I’m proud of that jury, in contempt of this stupid Appeals Court and its judges.
At the moment, US citizens are “men” – considered human. Already, all Iraqis are somewhere between subjects, obstacles to US goals, or enemies… they can’t be “slaughtered” because they aren’t seen as “men.”
Correct, “at the moment,” being the operative phrase. You speak of the present, and for whites. I speak of the future.