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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (23072)	4/28/2005 8:59:43 AM
From: sea_urchin	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 81149

Gus > The Minuteman Project stated through Chris Simcox, who is an organizer for the project, that they don't support a violent solution. "I think anytime you go to that length to take the law into your own hands, you're asking for trouble," Simcox told KVOA. Yes, they're making a big mistake. They could even be arrested and put in jail. Vigilantism is not allowed -- period. splcenter.org And, indeed, these guys are stupid. They should organize themselves into a private "security company", especially with some Jewish boys, preferably Israelis, on the board of directors, maybe even the CEO -- and voila -- as if by magic -- everything will be kosher. Furthermore, they'll be heroes. wsws.org >>Operating behind a veil of state and corporate secrecy, dozens of private security firms with intimate connections to the American political establishment are playing a crucial role in the US occupation of Iraq. The wholesale contracting of military work to these companies is one of the most outrageous forms of war profiteering taking place under the auspices of the Bush administration. Modern-day mercenaries are amassing vast fortunes assisting the US ruling elite to establish a puppet regime in Iraq, repress the Iraqi people and plunder the country’s resources. Security contractors, without uniforms or standardised identification, driving through the streets in unmarked vehicles, manning roadblocks or stalking outside buildings with machine-guns, have become a ubiquitous and offensive symbol of the US occupation. Private military companies (PMCs) are contributing as much as 20 percent of the total US-led occupation force. At least 35 PMCs have contracts in Iraq, employing at least 5,000 heavily-armed foreign mercenaries and over 20,000 Iraqis to carry out explicitly military work in some of the most dangerous areas of the country. At least another 10,000 to 15,000 contractors from every corner of the globe are performing vital military logistical support roles such as driving, maintenance, training, communications and intelligence-gathering. Among those who were torturing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were contractors employed as interrogators and translators. One is accused of raping a young man. He has not been charged however. The mercenaries in Iraq have complete immunity from Iraqi law under an edict issued by the US Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The market for these corporate* guns-for-hire has been created by the unprecedented military activity undertaken by the US government over the past 13 years*, and especially since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The American armed forces now have 350,000 personnel deployed overseas, with a presence in at least 130 countries and permanent bases in 63. Iraq accounts for 135,000 of these troops.<<