We have 100,000 mercenaries fighting in Iraq. Is this wise?

Question

First of all, they get paid way more that our armed forces get, and they can break whatever laws they want. Who are these people and where did they come from? Who told Bush it was okay to do this? I know they are called Blackwater.

Thank you m b

Answer 1

In a time that is roughly comparable to that of the Gilded Age, corporations and the wealthy elite in the United States revel in their virtually unparalleled power and wealth. Labor unions, whose membership peaked at 35% of the hourly wage force in the 1950's, now comprise less than 10% of the US work force. The wealth gap continues to widen to devastating proportions as the middle class slowly disappears. Statistically, unemployment is relatively low, but many of those who are working are under-employed or working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. As the wealthy elite continue to tighten the screws by raising regressive taxes and lowering progressive taxes, lowering wages and benefits for the working class, off-shoring jobs, and cutting social programs, the threat of riots and social unrest becomes real. Hence the Bush Regime's moves to lay the foundation for declaring martial law and the rising fortunes of companies providing private military forces, like Blackwater.

Blackwater provides an interesting solution to the Bush Regime’s dilemma in satiating its desire to employ martial law covertly. Despite their Social Darwinism, America’s leaders prefer to maintain the illusion of "democracy and freedom" to keep the masses pacified. Just as they did in New Orleans, the federal government can now utilize the paramilitary employees of a company such as Blackwater to replace the overt presence of the US military. Rumsfeld, Chertoff, and company demonstrated that they can deploy a domestic military presence “under the radar”, enabling them to side-step potential public backlash and legal challenges.

Blackwater's global presence includes Iraq, where the murder of four of their employees triggered the US military's vengeful attack on Fallujah in which it committed heinous war crimes and atrocities against hundreds of Iraqi civilians. Why the four Blackwater contractors were near Fallujah the day of their deaths remains unclear. The mainstream media, Blackwater and the US government claim that they were on security detail protecting a food delivery. However, some suggest that the claims of protecting a food caravan were a ruse to cover the fact that Blackwater employees were completing a military operation. While the facts remain unclear, it is certain that the mainstream media's portrayal of the Blackwater victims as "civilian contractors" was significantly inaccurate.

Blackwater offers several advantages to the Bush Regime in its imperialist endeavors. The military can lower "body counts" by employing more private contractors and fewer military personnel. Forces provided by Blackwater are less subject to Congressional oversight and public scrutiny than the conventional military. The availability of "guns for hire" negates the need for a highly unpopular draft and helps fill in gaps left by military recruitment shortages.

Since it began its involvement in the Bush Regime's "War on Terror”, Blackwater has been the defendant in at least two lawsuits. Family members of the four Blackwater employees killed in Fallujah are pursuing legal action against Blackwater for failure to properly equip its employees. Blackwater and its aviation subsidiary also face litigation stemming from the deaths of three US soldiers killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan.

Answer 2

You need to update your sources with something a bit more, well, credible.

Blackwater USA is indeed hiring former professional soldiers from all over the world with clean and good records for security jobs in Iraq... and elsewhere in the world. The pay is pretty darn good... $4K a month in 2004, and you spend 6 months to a year over there. It's probably gone up since. However, Blackwater's MAIN purpose is security training, especially high-risk civilian targets such as oil refineries, power plants, and so on.

And there are PLENTY of targets that need security and protection. Oil wells, buildings, VIPs, all need security. And private firms who can't rely on the local military or the US military to defend private stuff must hire security, and Blackwater USA is some of the best security money can buy.

Maybe they do get paid more, but that's because they're NOT working for the government. Has ANY ONE gotten rich from a public servant's salary? The complaint is rhetorical nonsense.

As for 100K consultants, there's no way they all came from Blackwater. Blackwater USA is just ONE of the various security firms that saw a business boom after 9/11 being one of the companies that specialize in recruiting and training high-end security personnel. It may be one of the biggest, but claiming all 100K are from Blackwater is nothing short of ridiculous sensationalism. Not to mention the real number is much lower than that. Thousands for sure. Tens of thousands, are probable. 100K? You gotta be [beep]ing me!

And who says they can break any law they want? That is ill-informed rumor-mongering. Security consultants (or if you prefer, mercenaries) are CIVILIANS, and thus are subject to local laws. Of course being in such a chaotic place like Iraq local laws may not actually MEAN much, but saying they can do anything they want just because they are mercs is a significant departure from both reality and sanity.

And what does GW Bush have anything to do with this? You really think all these "mercs" are there to fight on behalf of US of A? Wake up! They are there to protect PRIVATE COMMERCIAL interests like oil wells, infrastructure, and even Paul Bremmer when he was there. with his entourage.

EDIT: Oh, and the book? One-sided reporting from the left extreme. 43 reviews and only 3 stars out of 5 average, and all the reviews that say the book is great admit that they agree with the author's views, so they are really rating the viewpoint, not the book.

EDIT2: Btexpress24, are you aware that you are citing an organization that has been engaged in Holocaust denial? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the IHR a "blatantly anti-Semitic assortment of pseudo-scholars". Citing THEIR views actually undermines your rant, not that your rant needed much help.

Answer 3

mckenziecalhoun -- permit's see. You invaded a usa under fake pretenses. This usa became of no risk to the u . s . a ., the communicate of WMD became a lie, the communicate of al Queda being harboured by using Iraq became a lie, the quest for terrorists became a lie, 9/11 deaths have been omitted different than by using communicate, you're no longer usa construction - you're usa destroying. You, of the u . s . a ., could positioned,a minimum of, the quantity of funds you used to wreck a usa into its rebuilding after the civil conflict, you created. And please do no longer tell me you went to Iraq to unfastened a usa. You subsidized Saddam, of their conflict against Iran and the Kurds. And went in on fake pretenses of WMD being there that your usa knew became unfaithful, at a time once you have been meant to be sorting out al Queda, that your government knew became no longer genuine. You returned stabbed, Saddam who all of us knew became a tyrant, who you subsidized in the past on a conflict with Iran and the Kurds - whilst he used chemical weapons against the two, making no point out of it or protesting to the UN till way previous the use. the US may well be wealthy yet those action are inhumane and conflict crimes. Mr Bellows -- spoken like a real - who cares what you think of, crimson neck. jeeper_peeper321 you. needless to say have not paid interest. Do you somewhat think of that the Republicans might, lay returned in shame, to no longer vigorously ***** approximately that? Ivri_Anokhi -- so which you're struggling with in a small usa - Iraq - and you're saying it incredibly is worse than WWII. You. obviuosly are a guy of religion and you're making somewhat ignorant comments like that !!! Dip poo - Hezbola has in no way attacted the US. ok, now we can't have Armagedon if we've a international conflict and then tackle Islam! you're somewhat bit a nut.

Answer 4

Hey mr. america, the Iraqis Didn't Hire the sometimes Covert Mercenaries-Blackwater Like Duuuuh Dude, they are there To Protect The Interests of Chaney/Halliburton, Exxon, BP, Shell, Unocal, Bectel(sp) The BushCrimeSyndicate, TheNewWorldOrder, and indirectly PROTECTING The Zionist Israeli Jews that Co-Authored Their SELF-SERVING PNAC, These Mercs are there for the Benefit of The ILLUMINATI, GWB and other MEMBERS of The SKULL and BONES SOCIETY, Elitists of The BOHEMIAN GROVE, and Various Other SCUMBAGS.. Let Me Guess Mercs Paycheck Comes Out of The AMERICAN Tax Payers Pocket .. . .. http://www.ihr.org/leaflets/iraqwar.shtml

Answer 5

sassyk,

there's a book , "Blackwater," about this just recently published by Jeremy Scahill. It was featured on the Daily Show. I don't know the answers to your questions, but I know the book would answer them. Maybe you can watch the episode on youtube where he was interviewed.

The thing about this is that hardly anyone realizes what you've pointed out.

Answer 6

Sure Bush loves it.

No Geneva Convention
No VA benefits
No responsibility
No Congressional oversight.

Go Team Bush Go

Answer 7

Why not hire more mercenaries to replace our people and bring our people home? Get Bush's corporate sponsors to chip in to pay for them since the war is for benefit of industry and big business anyway. For example since Haliburton isn't going to be paying taxes they can use that money to pay for some mercenries.

Answer 8

Who told Bush to do this??? I don't think you know enough to make judgements on this so you need to research it a little more before you call it a bad thing.

Answer 9

We have 100,000 + Y! Answers on here... Is this wise?

Answer 10

I wish I could work for blackwater, they do great things, protect troops, iraqi civilians and kill the jihadis, why are you against that? or is that what the daily KOS told you about blackwater?

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