More dead American mercenaries in Iraq. Oh, yawn.

Not having learned anything from the previous Kos controvery regarding American mercenaries getting whacked in Iraq, let me link you to a CNN story describing the recent helicopter crash in Iraq, in which all 11 people on board -- including six Americans -- died. And while one might mourn the loss of the other three Bulgarians and two Fijians, I'll be up-front and say I really don't give a shit about the deaths of the Americans. And why is that, you ask?

Because, as you can read from that same article:

U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the six Americans were assisting the department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which protects diplomats.

Well, all right, normally you'd feel some sympathy for those unfortunate security personnel. But hold on ... what's this?

The security firm Blackwater USA, based in North Carolina, identified the six Americans as its personnel.

Ah, yes -- Blackwater USA. And where have we heard that name before? Why, that's the same company that lost four of its mercenaries ... uh, personnel in Fallujah last year:

On March 31, 2004, four Americans, all Blackwater contractors, were murdered in Falluja, and the bodies of two of them were hung from a bridge. That incident escalated the conflict between U.S. forces and the insurgency.

Oh, yeah ... that Blackwater. And as for feeling sorry for them, well, you might want to hold off on the tears for just a bit:

One of the biggest private security firms in Iraq has created outrage after a memo to staff claimed it is 'fun' to shoot people. Emails seen by The Observer reveal that employees of Blackwater Security were recently sent a message stating that 'actually it is "fun" to shoot some people.'

Dated 7 March and bearing the name of Blackwater's president, Gary Jackson, the electronic newsletter adds that terrorists 'need to get creamed, and it's fun, meaning satisfying, to do the shooting of such folk.' . . .

But I guess it's not so much fun when those folks shoot back, is it? Despite Blackwater's apparent delight in wasting foreigners, we have the very same Gary Jackson, turning on the taps for the media:

"We are devastated by the loss of our friends," Blackwater President Gary Jackson said in a statement. "They were true American patriots and heroes who were performing a mission that is critical to the success of the coalition efforts to secure peace and freedom in Iraq."

No, Gary, they weren't patriots or heroes over which we should shed any tears. They were, according to your own newsletter, a bunch of trigger-happy play soldiers who were encouraged to get their jollies shooting Iraqis. And now they're dead. Fuck 'em.