There are two Blackwater stories in the news today. First, from the New York Times, a report that personnel working for the firm used CS gas in Iraq in 2005:
The helicopter was hovering over a Baghdad checkpoint into the Green Zone, one typically crowded with cars, Iraqi civilians and United States military personnel. Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas, a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint. "This was decidedly uncool and very, very dangerous," Capt. Kincy Clark of the Army, the senior officer at the scene, wrote later that day. "It's not a good thing to cause soldiers who are standing guard against car bombs, snipers and suicide bombers to cover their faces, choke, cough and otherwise degrade our awareness."
Blackwater claims the incident was the result of a simple mistake--confusing a CS canister with an ordinary smoke canister. But as the Danger Room explains, that explanation doesn't hold water:
You'll notice that the two grenades are similar in shape and function, but have very distinct coloring differences. The Army, in its wisdom in designing soldier-proof equipment, recognized that it would be a BAD THING if a soldier popped a CS grenade in a mistaken effort to provide smoke to cover his buddy's movement on the ground. So the CS grenades are very carefully colored with a distinct red stripe on grey background as opposed to the smoke grenades' color scheme.
Still, Blackwater has it's moments. The company recently rescued three American girls from the rioting in Kenya, where they were volunteering at an orphanage. I'd say that's decidedly cool. For more on Blackwater you can read Mark Hemingway's excellent profile of the company in the December 18, 2006, issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.