Blackwater
1st, how come we can’t just call a mercenary a mercenary? They’re being called contractors, which makes them sound like sweaty guys with bad t-shirts and hammers hanging from their belts……they couldn’t be further from that….
2nd, how come people talk about it being a bunch of Americans when Blackwater gts a very high percentage of it’s manpower from places like Chile and Central America?
3rd, why wasn’t anyone other than Jeremy Scahill talking about this weirdness long ago?
4th, go buy his book on Blackwater right away, not only for the info directly related to the issue but also for insight into what’s going on in the current administration and the direction the Military corporate structure is now taking….it’s pretty alarming…
5th, what the hell is wrong with using OUR own military forces to do what these mercs are being hired out by OUR government to do, at triple the cost? That way they’d a LEAST then be under the Military Code of Justice, instead of how it is now, with mercs in Iraq free from any legal oversight. That’s right, they don’t fall under the MCJ, nor American civil or criminal law, nor even under Iraqi law, so they can do pretty much whatever they want, as we’re starting to see now.
6th, if you use hired mercs, you don’t have to claim them as in-country forces, nor do you have to include their deaths and injuries in your casualty reports.
I’m just saying……and Blackwater is just ONE of the companies that do this work, there are MANY others.
*UPDATE – 10/26/07*
Here’s a PBS Bill Moyers Show on this exact subject, with Scahill as the guest, very informative.
You can also find excerpts on YouTube here.