Wayne
We as citizens can not pick and choose where our taxes should go.
Our society provides the means for her to earn those magnificant sums so i believe she should be taxed. Why should she be able to leave her tax burden behind her? Makes no sense to me.
She should Pay her taxes ,kiss her skanky ass that mericans buy her trash &STFU! Only in America comes to mind.
I certainly reject a lot of policys of my gov`t,what can i do?
I object that our army has been privatized, that we pay these private for profit companies 5 to 10 times what we pay our armed forces! Wayne this should put you into a state of nirvana, W & Cheny have a private army to get around
Posse Comitatus Act. Who do Blackwater answer to???
Paula Wall column
June 08, 2007 6:00 AM
A lawsuit brought against the private military company, Blackwater USA, by the families of four Blackwater employees killed in Iraq three years ago has been derailed by a federal judge ordering arbitration instead of a public trial. This will allow Blackwater to avoid public examination of its practices in Iraq, since the proceedings and outcome of the arbitration will be kept secret.
In trying to get more information about Blackwater USA, I came across an article by Christopher Hedges entitled "What If Our Mercenaries Turn on Us?" I didn't quite understand the title and at first thought it had to do with suspected terrorists in our country, given the latest news about another suspected terrorist plot in New York. As I read the article, however, I began to realize that it dealt with our country's mercenary army — something I hadn't realized was in existence.
I should have known better. I had heard of the Blackwater "contractors" who had been brutally killed and mutilated in Iraq a few years ago. At the time, we were not really told what their jobs were, but later it was revealed that they were part of a private American security force. According to estimates, there are about 20,000 private armed security forces working in Iraq. They make much more money than our military forces and come from a variety of careers, including former American military and police forces (as well as from foreign countries). This would include the "contractors" from CCAI who interrogated the prisoners at Abu Ghraib. There are also approximately 100,000 other civilian military "contractors" who perform logistical support services such as food preparation, laundry and other non-combat activities.
At first, one might think this is a good idea — privatization of some military activities frees up the American troops to focus on activities directly related to combat and the occupation of Iraq. But they have protections not afforded other civilians. A 2004 edict passed by American occupation authorities in Iraq immunizes all civilian contractors in Iraq from prosecution. Essentially they are beyond civilian and military law. And this is a pretty frightening proposition for the freedoms we claim to be fighting for!
After Katrina, there were heavily armed, black-uniformed men patrolling New Orleans. They were Blackwater "contractors," financed by the American taxpayer at a cost of $240,000 a day. Having highly-paid mercenaries patrolling our streets while our National Guard forces and equipment are in Iraq may well be a harbinger of things to come all over our country. Who is profiting from this?
Some critics claim, as does Hedges, that privatizing the war gives American corporations a great incentive to keep us in Iraq. We as taxpayers have paid over $4 billion to armed security companies like Blackwater, according to the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee chairman. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of the House Intelligence Committee claims that approximately 40 cents of every dollar spent on the occupation has gone to war contractors. If that is true, is it likely that these corporations would want us to get out of Iraq any time soon?
Jeremy Scahill, author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," notes that Blackwater has constructed the world's largest private military facility, a 7,000-acre compound in North Carolina, has recently opened another large facility in Illinois, and plans to build another enormous training base near San Diego.
If we have these "contractors" operating both here and abroad with our government's blessing, could this become a threat to our democracy? If our country falls into a period of instability — whether that be another terrorist attack, a series of major environmental disasters, or an economic meltdown, might these paramilitary forces be used to abolish our democracy in the name of "security?" Are Scahill and Hedges wild-eyed crazies running around like Chicken Little or are they prophets of what is to come in a world that idolizes war profits?
Paula Garabedian Wall (pgwall@juno.com) writes from her home in Fremont. |
