Blackwater Still in Iraq Doing Its Job, Others Not So Much

Once upon a time several military contractors working in Iraq on behalf of the United States government accidentally (or deliberately depending on the observer) were overzealous in their tasks of protecting Americans and providing security. The result left Iraqis dead. The security men worked for a firm called Blackwater, who of course came under tons of fire, regardless of the fact that they handled their chief responsibility rather well.

Under strutiny by the government here and Iraqis abroad, that particular contract in Iraq was not renewed. Big commotion over, and all eyes move on.

People tend to believe that most things are exceptionally easy to do, or can be done better, or that there is an infinite supply of more capable, prepared, and honest folks who could have taken care of a given task much better than those under scrutiny.  This list of expertise usually begins in the minds of the unqualified  with their own name atop the list. "Why if they were so smart, why did...." and "Anybody could have done that better. I could have done it better."

But the truth is, you can't. For most tasks it makes sense to take the best trained, the smartest minds, the most focused. Since human nature is as it is, there will be mistakes. No task can be accomplished without error indefinately and error does not necessarily render someone incompetent.

As these things go, Blackwater did what any self respecting business would have done when faced with the pitch forked and angry. They changed their name to Xe.

According to the N.Y. Times, onward they go, still providing certain levels of security that more well meaning incompetents are unable to supply.  They are there because they can get the job done better than anyone else, short of the United States perhaps doing the wise thing and actually using its army for such tasks.

Despite the torrent of public criticism against Blackwater, American officials say they are relieved that the old guards will stay on. Otherwise, Triple Canopy, they say, would not be able to field enough qualified guards, with the proper security clearances, before the new contract goes into effect in May.

“There is just no other way to do it,” said one Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to discuss the issue publicly.

Critics of Blackwater said they worried that the same people might perpetuate what they believed was a corporate culture that disregarded Iraqis’ lives.

“They’re really all still there, and it’s back to business as usual,” said Susan Burke, an American lawyer who has filed three civil rights lawsuits against Blackwater on behalf of Iraqi civilians alleged to be victims of it.

(N.Y. Times)

This is not surprising. Some jobs need specialists, whether it involves repairing the financial industry or providing security.  The problems are resolved best by letting those most capable to do the job, but under a set of rules of engagement and regulation that reduce the risk of extended loss.

What always surprises us most is the general disrespect for those with past military service. The politicians and others will heap praise upon the active military man, but pile scorn atop those men when they seek out work in the field in which they were trained (all the while still relying on their skills in the dark of night).