Security Contractor Accountability in Iraq

Dear Senator,

I am writing to you today to express my very deep concern about the killing of unarmed Iraqi civilians by security contractors in the employ of the U.S. Dept. of State. I am astonished to learn that these men will not be subject to any criminal penalties for the crime that they have committed. I believe that such immunity from prosecution for people who have committed such a terrible crime is morally wrong and will further undermine the efforts of American troops in Iraq who are working hard to provide a safer environment for the Iraqi people.

If the U.S. military is so overextended that it is unable to provide security for the U.S. Dept. of State in Iraq, then I think it is imperative that any contractors hired to fulfill this duty must maintain the same high standards of behavior as the U.S. military. They must be held to the same rules of engagement and must face the same criminal penalties for the violation of said rules.

I understand that there is a bill titled "The Security Contractor Accountability Act" currently under consideration. If this bill will ensure that security contractors will be held to the same standards as the U.S. military, then I urge you to support it. If the bill, as currently written, falls short of holding security contractors to these same standards, then I urge you to amend the bill until it does so.

Thank you for your attention to my concerns.

Sincerely,