One of the most frightening developments in the occupation of Iraq and the so-called war on terror, is actually something that most people have never heard of. In addition to the 150,000 troops that the U.S. has on the ground in Iraq, the Bush administration has deployed a shadow army of some 100,000 contractors. Of these tens of thousands are heavily armed mercenaries that roam Iraq with impunity. Among the most powerful of the companies operation in Iraq is Blackwater U.S.A. A secretive company based in the wilderness of North Carolina. It’s headed by a right winged Christian conservative bank roller of President Bush and his allies. And Blackwater envisions itself as the FedEx of the national security apparatus. But the reality is that Blackwater has become a primary player in the war on terror, and nothing short of the administrations Praetorian Guard.

And we know virtually nothing about this. We think about $.40 of every $1.00 goes to private military contractors. We think about 800 of them have been killed in Iraq, but we don’t know that, they’re not even counted. And we think that there’s about 25,000 to maybe 40,000 engaged in military activities – in combat related activities, but we don’t know and we can’t find out. – Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) House Intelligence Committee