I Hope This Isn't True

But if it is, then this country should be very, very worried. From People Get Ready:

I talked to a source over the weekend who I'll leave anonymous for now. Suffice it to say, he isn't a law enforcement official, but his job allows him to move into areas of the city that are generally forbidden to average citizens - that means, in particular, the Ninth Ward. Most of the I-10 exits passing through the Ninth Ward are blocked by National Guard soldiers. One some occasions, my source said that he was simply told, "Sorry, not today. There's something going on in there."

My source said he asked an old special forces friend who maintains contacts in the field about the off-limits warnings. His friend revealed that a private security firm was eliminating criminals who stayed behind after Katrina. The name of the security firm my source cited was "Sweetwater", although I think he meant "Blackwater". That's right, Blackwater is the private security company providing security details to high profile officials in Iraq. Then, the shocking statistic came out: according to the ex-special forces soldier, the security firm killed 175 people in 2 days...

Notwithstanding my hawkish stance on the treatment of criminals in New Orleans, I am profoundly troubled that a private security firm was hired to secure the city. The last time I checked, we still lived under a constitution that secures our freedom until proven guilty in a court of law, and before a jury of our peers. I can fully understand that some a-hole wielding an automatic rifle should be taken out. But I'm very uneasy about a private mercenary force patrolling the streets I live on - or hope to live on again. Street execution by a private corporate army is just beyond the pale of anything I could have imagined would ever happen in the United States of America. On the other hand, Blackwater personnel were, reportedly, deputized by Governor Blanco. The problem is that these guys are, by and large, mercenaries who don't have civilian law enforcement training.