Dear Secretary of State Clinton, After the appalling behavior of mercenaries guarding the embassy in Kabul, it seems clear that despite promising steps in other areas, the State Department is practicing business as usual with regard to private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. The State Department has a responsibility to oversee the performance of its employees, especially those who are in combat zones representing the United States. Yet time and again, these mercenaries have taken taxpayer dollars and abused them in the most egregious manner, and the State Department has claimed ignorance. Halliburton mercenaries raped. Wackenhut mercenaries drank and partied naked while they were supposed to be guarding an embassy. And Blackwater has been involved in so many scandals, it would be hard to condense them into this petition. Suffice it to say that they should have been fired a long time ago. Isn't it time for these mercenaries to stop destroying lives and reputations, and giving America a bad name throughout the world We know that as a candidate for President in 2008, you strongly condemned Blackwater and the use of "private security forces" by co-sponsoring the Stop Outsourcing Security Act with Senator Bernie Sanders. Now that you are Secretary of State, we urge you to use your bully pulpit and your strong approval rating to set an example for the Defense Department and the CIA to follow. Take a stand against these inexcusable practices, and fire all the mercenaries for good. Sincerely,

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