Thursday, June 19, 2008

HOL LEE KER RAPP

Holy crap.

Blackwater--Blackwater, the main mercenary military contracting firm employed by the U.S. Military in Iraq? That Blackwater?--asked the court handling a suit against them to do so using Shari'a law.

You have got to be motherfucking well kidding me. Three Blackwater employees died in a plane crash in Afghanistan. Their widows sued.

Last year, Blackwater argued that since they were working as agents of the government and soldiers can't sue the government (they can't? Who knew?), the suit should be dismissed. That argument was disallowed by a court.

So now, because it took place in Afghanistan and because Shari'a law doesn't hold companies responsible for the actions of employees, that's their angle.

Besides the obvious sliminess of trying to wiggle out of damages, the sheer vortex of irony, shamelessness, deadpan balls-to-the-wall opportunism, and general BULLSHIT is just too much to handle. It boggles the mind.

GAH. It's doubly frustrating because under other circumstances questions of the overlaps or encounters between different forms of law, together with church/state issues, would be very interesting. But this really should not go forward. It's disgusting.

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