For some time now, we have known that our government has been hiring mercenaries to supplement our Military Forces abroad. Not much about this activity appears on the normal broadcast media (Especially for those who generally get their news from FOX Television or from Rush Limbaugh. The LA Times published another article about this issue on January 25th.
Official records of the casualties and behavior of our private armies are not generally known, or if the information on this is publicly available or even exists.
One may wonder where King George the Bush is going to get all the extra troops he wants to send to Iraq (and the other countries to which he wants "bring democracy" since our Military Forces are already over-extended and facing depletion.
This is what Mom thinks: They will come from the private military contractors such as Blackwater, Dyncorp, and many others.
It is frightening to consider just how many companies exist who provide these "services" in order to make profit at the taxpayers expense, without the general oversight of any governmental agency. The questions we must now ask ourselves as citizens of the Untied States of America is; Are we willing to do anything about it? If so, what do we do, and how do we go about changing the state of affairs?
Welcome to the twenty-second century!
Posted by Judi at January 28, 2007 12:18 PM | TrackBackWhats frightening is this blog. As a former trooper in Iraq your compassion and thanks I feel is so wonderful. Listen up lady! There are no less than 10 million radical Muslims that would love nothing more than to break into your home and kill you and your entire family. Your liberalism would not save you. Yes, they would do this now, and tomorrow, and even before 911. This is a radical hate we are fighting and until we fight back in that manner we will continue to lose.
Stop looking for us all to just get a long and start realizing that the very freedom that allows you to post your BS is being threatened. Hopefully you will not have to watch your loved ones be hacked to pieces by a radical extremist just because you thought we could all just play nice!
So Sam, you are upset because this blog questions the use of mercenaries in Iraq. As a former “trooper” I guess you have no problem with these guys making 4 to 5 times what you were as a grunt. Right? Also there is no oversight regarding their activities. That’s OK with you? When you joined up as a trooper you took an oath to defend and protect the constitution. What oath do these mercenaries adhere to?
You refer to 10 million “radical Muslims”. Where are they? There are many more millions of people around the world that have come to despise us because of our single minded militaristic approach to solving problems. This is good for you, right? We are always the good guys and never do anything wrong or inappropriate. Surely you must agree with that statement!
It seems that you are so frightened by “radicals” that the idea of a private army in the USA is just fine! Right? Have you ever taken the time to read the constitution or read any history regarding the founding of our country? Are you aware of the principles that it is founded on?
This blog has pointed out the little publicized account of the total involvement of “civilian contractors” in the Iraq theater. You have convolved this issue in a defense of our invasion of Iraq. Prior to our invasion there were no radicals running around the Iraq countryside. Our formed buddy Saddam took care of them for us. If we assume that the invasion was necessary, then why do we need all of these “contractors”? If the US companies involved with the “reconstruction” of Iraq need protection why are they hiring guys from Kentucky? Why aren’t they hiring the locals and getting them off the streets? They would know who all the bad guys are and would be more useful in turning the local population to our advantage. So why is Blackwater hiring ex “troopers”? The stink of cronyism and political corruption is overwhelming.
If you are so concerned about these radical Muslims why aren’t you back over there protecting us? Why aren’t you joining up with our guardians Blackwater?
My guess is that in reality you are not a trooper and merely a blind follower of the party line of this administration. Or if you are a trooper then the military brainwashing tactics worked exceedingly well on you. Don’t you think we should try and find out why so many people are willing to blow themselves up and take as many of us as possible with them? Are you so hung up on violence that you see killing the other guy is the only solution? How many are you willing to kill to feel “safe”? Would you really want your son or daughter over there now?
Think about it.
A good rule of thumb is to Follow The Money.
Who is making money from all the conflicts?
Just who is profiting from all these wars?