Here’s a rare photo of some private security contractors in Iraq. In the wild west they were called guns for hire. Incorporated they became Pinkertons and so continued a long tradition of reviled professional soldiers, Hessians, Swiss Guards, Gurkhas, usually associated with totalitarian regimes, not democracies.
Our government and media won’t use the term mercenaries, but they do perseverate on not having any official means to restrain their dogs of war. APPARENTLY Iraq law doesn’t touch them, ALAS, neither does American military law. We benefit from their ruthless methods but bear no responsibility DEAR GOD when someone catches them/us at it.
Bush and Co are eating their cake and having it in everybody’s faces as well. No accountability for our private contractor mercenaries? What is our own definition of UNLAWFUL ENEMY COMBATANTS? Not that it’s any excuse to lock irregular soldiers away without due process, or to deny anyone their human rights, but certainly asymmetric warriors fit the bill for illegal combatants.
Can you believe that our diplomats and upper echelon will not go anywhere without these mercenary escorts? They’re confined to the Green Zone until Blackwater is cleared of its latest shooting spree. What about US soldiers as escorts? Our generals and statesmen do not trust our own troops for their safety. These private hired killers are the US Praetorian Guard, and our leaders claim they fall under no one’s authority?
What this administration and the press and every talking head war monger pay careful attention to ignore is that international law has jurisdiction over all their crimes. When you hear some military expert pensively mulling over with great dismay the untread gray area of indemnified private contractor actions. It’s silly subterfuge. International war conventions, Geneva Article 47 for example, have without ambiguity codified and condemned mercenaries and war criminals alike.
Try and get the facts straight. This photo is of US military. Look at their patches. PSCs don’t usually wear camo. The “facts” in the articles are not very reliable either. The only people who revile this kind of soldiers are those that don’t understand warfare. The Pope uses mercenaries. Ever heard of the Helvetians? I don’t think that these mercenaries should have free reign in war zones but they do an imoprtant job. Just try to inform people and not to sway them.
Then why do the Blackwater BITCHES need Blanket Immunity for the Crimes they commit?
Except for the Fallujah Four who got their arrogant Asses hanged on the Bridge.
I hope the Arabs jammed their own Combat Utility Knives in their …bellies… before hanging them up.
Fuck them to death and beyond.
Oh, and unless the army suddenly started allowing soldiers to have beards and long hair, the freaks in question ain’t Regular Military.
They put my nephew and my niece in danger for their arrogant belligerent disregard for civilized behavior or law in any form, they put Miss Johnnie’s daughter in danger, the Fallujah Four getting their stupid asses hanged, I would say tough shit… but the Pentagoons and George Bush decided they HAD to be avenged, so they sent the Real Military in on a murder spree of massive proportions to do it.
And, got decidedly more than just 4 of them killed in the process.
Draconian measures never break anybody. You might be able to hold them under your boot heels with that shit, but sooner or later you’re going to have to take your Jackboots off their necks.
And then what? Your Side is pissed off at every person of dark skin complexion because of the actions of 19 young men, to the extent they sent the Army in to try to subdue an Arab nation that wasn’t even involved.
People being people, I would just imagine that somebody over there might want a little revenge for his family being Murdered by Mr Bush’s orders.
Only, see, the soldiers wear uniforms and look uniform, all the victims of their thuggery are going to see is American Uniforms, not human beings.
The way that your asshole president looks at all Arabs being the same.
So this past almost 6 years of suppression and murder is going to get Americans, ANY Americans, targeted for revenge.
Way to go, yes sir!
Your side really really made us safer didn’t you?
Okay Jonah.
For one…I can tell you have never been in the military. I can also tell that you were unhappy that your family enlisted. The fact of the matter is that they enlisted on their own accord. It was there prerogative to serve their country…my country…the one that holds an entirely volunteer military force. I have fought my fair share of hostiles off my back. I’m not too fond of my FOB, much less Iraq as a whole. But holy shit…am I going to toss a bitch fest because I was ordered to do my job? What do you think your nephew would say if he saw this? You have no clue what you are talking about. It’s like you got your knowledge from a stoned college freshman.
Regarding your highly intelligent remark about the GI’s hairstyle:
Last time I checked THERE AREN’T ANY SUPERCUTS IN IRAQ. Some of us were lucky enough to have battle buddies that owned a set of sheers. If not? Oh well..we fight our battle a little scruffy. I highly doubt that an enemy Hostile really cares that my high ‘n’ tight is a tad off centered.
Before you start spouting off on a bulletin that you know nothing about, stop and think. Your nephew wasn’t tortured or legally obligated into joining the military until he signed the papers, using his hand–on his time. He had every opportunity to bail out prior to taking the oath of service. However, he, along with the rest of my brothers/sisters in arms, chose to enlist. In case you try to pull the political card? I can’t stand Bush, but I voted for a republican senator. I want what will benefit my fellow citizenry as a whole. So does every other being with a moderate intellect. I hope you are ashamed of your comments, because you need to re-consider how you feel about us—the ones that fought for your right to complain without basis.
Actually I DO have the experience.
And you don’t get away with not shaving OR having your hair as long as the guy with the Cav patch on his arm.
If you want to play back up for BlackWater or any other outfit of Professional Murderers do it on your own time and spending your own dime.
And you have NEVER fought for my rights.
As of now the Army and Air Force et al are fighting for the “rights” of the super rich to own a country and especially it’s oil resources even if the people don’t want them to.
You’re not even fighting for IRAQI freedoms far less American.
If I had wanted a daily dose of Propaganda I would have stayed the hell in the Air FARCE. (A great waste of life)
Or tune my cable teevee to Fox “news” and throw the remote away.
Is this the point where I’m supposed to thank you for conquering another nation, and breeding the next generation of people who are terminally pissed off at anybody who happens to share your nationality?
For giving them the “right” to vote for anybody they wanted, as long as your Commander in Thief approved of it?
What would you have done when you were “guarding” the polling places if somebody had tried to cast a write-in vote for a Ba’ath party member?
I know what the BlackWater Hit “men” would have done.
The coward bitches shot up Americans in New Orleans, did you know that?
Oh, and the picture in question, was provided by Blackwater in the first damn place.
Your Commander in Thief is currently pardoning any and every one of his Henchmen including, but not limited to, BlackWater.
Even though they haven’t been charged with anything —yet…
Your Commander in Thief promised that no soldiers would ever be charged with war crimes for obeying orders.
Now, call me suspicious or whatever, but that sounds one hell of a lot like he intended to order you to commit war crimes.
Subsequent events have reinforced that impression.
And the Torture Freaks at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and Khandahar and Bagram USAFB.
Some of the bitches have expressed a desire to kill or torture ME for pointing out that they engage in Murder and Torture, and that they get Sexually aroused by it.
But they haven’t jumped bad just yet.
Maybe they’re waiting for you to come and back them up because, really, Cowards are Cowards, no matter how hard they try to hide it.
And they won’t do anything on an individual man-to-man or man-to-whatever-hell-kind-of-freak-they-are basis.
That was me being nice. This is me being ugly.
You say you fought for MY rights, and so did everybody in the military?
You’re lying through your Goddamned teeth…
There’s nothing in your long stream of lies that convinces me you would ever Man Up and defend ANYBODY except your Rich-Bitch Masters.
Lick their boots all you want.
When Eric and Elizabeth were being beaten down by your PIG overlords right here in Colorado Springs, there were plenty of soldier-BOYS in the crowd and NOT ONE OF THE COWARD SONS-OF-BITCHES so much as opened your fucking lying mouths in protest._
Every time I was beaten and even tortured by American PIGS in American jails, always while I was handcuffed and helpless, not a single God-Damn soldier ever so much as protested.
And you know why they did it, on EVERY occasion?
Because I talked back to their COWARD PIG ASS.
That’s right, Three One BITCH, for exercising that right of Free Speech each and every one of you Amateur Propagandists said you “fought for”.
Some of the PIG MOTHERFUCKERS who did it identified themselves as Veterans.
So when you get drunk enough and get enough of your buddies around you to try to punish me for my free speech, I really don’t count on ANY help from your PIG comrades.
You’re probably thinking of telling me I deserved it for talking back,
YEAH, BITCH, I HEAR THAT A LOT FROM VETS. THAT’S REALLY “FIGHTING FOR MY FREE SPEECH” ISN’T IT BITCH!
Fuck you and the Nazi Horse you rode in on.
Now, ignoring all the provocative words…
Because, you see, you either do or you’re guilty of shameless hypocrisy.
You didn’t stand so much as to rebuke the police on St Paddy’s Day.
We broke no laws, and even paid for our Free speech in advance.
After that particular incident, soldiers came out of the woodwork to praise the Local Gestapo for their heavy-handed treatment, and always, always, put in that STUPID propaganda line about having fought for Our Freedoms.
Even if you actually believed it to be true, it would NOT be true.
Some, perhaps a sizable percentage of the people in Colorado Springs and in America at large would believe the propaganda, but then, there are those of us who recognize it as the lie that it actually is.
Your Pentagon has censored heavily any reporting and especially pictures from the “global war on terror” mainly because they fear that if people see the truth they won’t support the lies.
When I left the Air Force, I LEFT. Completely. I knew then and learned more so in the intervening years, that the Rah Rah Rah USA! crap was just that.
Rather than actually build the nation and keep it something in which to take pride, we’ve been TOLD, rather arrogantly, that to criticize anything wrong or try to change anything wrong about our nation was treason, the “My Country Right or Wrong” Stephen Decatur slogan.
You could also substitute that for, or with, “Deutchsland über Alles” or “Rule Britannia” or any other Pseudo-Patriotic horse shit.
Loyalty to a JUST cause or an honorable man is one thing.
George Bush is a cause unto himself, and is neither just nor honorable.
BlackWater are even worse, they have subjugated their own pride, dignity, any sense of morality or righteousness they might have possessed, to whoever pays them.
They’ve sold their collective soul and willingly made themselves both individually and collectively Less Than Human. They deserve no respect and they won’t have any.
The only difference between them and the Mafia is the person who pays them, and the fact that the Mafia don’t have blanket immunity from any crimes they have committed or intend to commit.
They don’t care if they get YOU killed to back them up any more than they would care if I stepped in front of a bus tomorrow.
You, personally, can wrap that garbage in the Flag, and you can even demand that I salute it.
And I, personally, can and regularly do refuse to salute it.
Some go even further, and actually condemn me to the everlasting Fires of Hell for refusing to support the murders your “brothers in arms” are committing daily throughout the world.
You willingly enlisted, to be sure. You could also willingly walk away from it. If you have the balls.
I really don’t know that you do or not.
If you don’t, you can still change.
Even the BlackWater über-thugs can change.
So, will you finally step into Manhood or merely chant the My Country Right Or Wrong, Thank A Vet and “I fought for your free speech” lies until you once again believe them?
Little secret here, bud,…
In order to keep believing those lies you have to tell them to yourself every damn day.
Once you stop telling yourself those things, your eyes will start to open, you’ll start to see…
The hardest, most difficult part, is to stop.
It’s very simple, and from your current point of view it looks like an obstacle bigger than a mountain.
But that’s just a point of view, if you confront it, you’ll see that obstacle shrink, fade…. and you’ll know that you have substance, but the Fear does not.
Chanting slogans to convince yourself that your fear is justified is really tho only way your fear can grow.
Once you realize that you are stronger than any fears, your point of view changes, and that thing that looked like a mountain, is something so small you can pick it up and toss it aside.
Heard about this site from a friend who said I should read this article…he was right, it was a pretty good laugh. Jonah, you seem like a douche bag and a huge tool up there on your soapbox. You served?…in the air force? Hahaha give me a break, you were probably the little baby back bitch that cried thru basic and didn’t even serve your whole contract you piece of fuckin shit liberal hippy. This is my first and last time on this site. You have fun bitching and moaning behind a computer, us real men and women have other things to do.
DWalk, btw, nice observation on the guys wearing the army acu and their unit patch. I have honestly never seen a contractor wear camo at all. Mostly jeans, khakis, flight suit sometimes… all solid colors. You sir, sound like a smart guy and not a tool like this Jonah dude, and I salute you DWalk
To cut through the meaningless insults, if you’re in combat you should dress for combat. Which is what BDUs are for. Also the long hair gives them away as not being regular military.
When the Blackwater pigs who were guarding the gate at Peterson and “man”ning the admin buildings tried to arrest Miss Johnnie for being where she had been instructed to go, to get her ID so she could get her due benefits as a widow of a VietNam Vet, USAF SSgt, Agent Orange victim, denied justice in life and his widow denied justice after he died…
They had hair way over their ears, one had short beard, definitely not Air Force SPs. They take that kind of shit really seriously.
Too bad you’ve got to project your guilt onto me in order to “get a laugh”, I guess your picture-stash of dead babies ain’t getting it for you anymore?
Just so you know, any denials by Pentagon employees, civilian or enlisted, aren’t going to be taken seriously in this corner.
Here’s something you might get a huge kick out of hearing, very obviously your Lifer heroes brought back the Baghdad Boil to Colorado Springs. And Miss Johnnie has it. Seems the Army is only copping to fewer than 20 cases, none fatal, and all confined to Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the doctors who are now treating Miss J, hopefully with some success, had quite a few cases on Ft Carson and a few deaths.
Much like their denial mechanisms long in place for Depleted Uranium, and of course Agent Orange, the LSD experiments, the nuclear tests on really uninformed uniformed animated test dummies (like yourself), trying to smear Capt Ellsberg for releasing the Pentagon Papers and now threatening to hang Bradley Manning for releasing, unlike your personal campaign, Actual Truth about the war(s)
Seems the truth harms the war effort, why?
If you had really good reasons to fight wars you wouldn’t have to hide behind lies, now, would you?
By the way, your mercenary comrades aren’t any more mercenary than you poor enlisted slobs. They just ordinarily make more money.
And they protty much shat in their mess kits, credibility wise, by a blatant daylight murder of 17 Iraqis, all civilians and half of them children. Which the only court defense they have is that they’re immune from prosecution.
One day, you too shall break away from the brainwashing or suffer a long miserable decline from PTSD. I started breaking away from it when I walked out the front gate for the final time. …
But you CAN make it if the poisons the Pentagon daily gives you don’t kill you first. Or the Baghdad Boil, malaria, or your own comrades fragging you because you’re developing dangerously asshole traits, habits and mentality.
Basic was a breeze, btw. Even though Sgt Garza was somewhat of an assmunch.
Oh, and your IP address keeps showing up on blacklists.
Apparently not from any official duties either, as the sites reporting it cooperate very tightly with military and police and intelligence agencies.
If it were one of your official duties your officially authorized (and we pay for it) computer wouldn’t even have gone to those sites. Surfing for naughtiness I suppose. Maybe hoping to add to your collection of dead kid pictures?
And spamming of course.
Bad ol’ wicked liberals letting even the most bigoted and hostile right wing extremists post here.
How very tacky of them!
Observation stands, Long Hair on GIs = No.
Even the AFOSI and CID men didn’t do that. Mostly of course because they spy on their fellow service/servantmen and need to blend in a bit.
Have fun, dude. Your mom’s basement must be a really depressing place.
RON PAUL 2012
James, what on earth makes you think that this Ayn Rand driven Right Wing asshole would be any solution to any of the world’s many problems?
Because Mr Paul promises a “peace dividend”.
Without confessing that capital needs full participation in order to survive. It’s threatened by nationalized resources, like Pemex and the Iranian oil fields and Venezuela.
Or Workers having an equal right to collectively bargain for a fair recompense for our labor.
The Paul Team, pere et fil, claim they’ll be able to magically make it all work together, kind of like having their cake and letting the peasants eat it too. And of course promoting private education which means the workers won’t have any public education, and if we can’t afford the private well, that’s our fault for consenting to work at minimum wage… which the Paul Team also say is too much.
But education is probably on the chopping block because informed workers, educated workers, tend to be pissed off workers when the Corporates pull such transparent and mutually exclusive bullshit scams like “Peace, AND Capital”.
Good catch, Tony.
Oh, that bit about literacy in Mexico? It’s from the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship. Kind of a corporate boast, a prospectus if you will, about investing in the corporations which outright owned Mexico.
“yeah, we keep our people very poor and very simple, so there’s less chance of them organizing an effective resistance, and if they DO, we’ll simply call in the U.S. Marines like we always have before”.
PRI and Pemex have their bright side too, Tony.
Common thread: Socialism actually works well enough that Capital needs military force to coerce participation.
The conundrums and contradictions involved in maintaining Capital, and convincing the Workers to accept their lot, sound like Squealer’s Speech from Animal Farm.
Ron Paul sounds like that too. His son even more so.
But he’s got a lot of people convince he’ll be able to pull World Peace from his rectal orifice.