Anyone else disgusted about our use of mercenaries like Blackwater?
http://media.www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2007/09/26/Opinions/American.Mercenaries.Lack.Oversight.Should.Leave.Iraq-2992789.shtml
Soldiers of fortune, lined up at the public through to slurp up many times the pay of our soldiers, but not bound by the same rules.
Is this the face of America we want to project? It isn't what I want.
I suppose is just an extension of the outsourcing mania - like the plan to award the security for our ports to Dhubai. Actually, it seems we've outsourced our government, too, where we have things like the Medicare prescription drug plan actually written by drug company lobbyists.
We're on the verge of outsourcing our military - with loyalty going to the highest bidder...
Your thoughts?
quick, blackwater is a huge embarrassment to our military, our country, and our morals. it makes the united states look terrible. once again the current administration not giving a hoot about america's future. more money for their pals and another black mark against the u.s.
outsourcing is a huge mistake in my opinion. form the military to our jobs.
i remember a couple years ago they were going to outsource the management of the port of miami, turned out the management group was from saudi arabia. unbelievable isn't it?
Over half of the security people over in Iraq are unaccountable contractors like Blackwater to make up for our vast defense security ends-means disconnects. There were no "Blackwaters" in WWII. Another good reason to go back to a draft IMHO. Get these unaccountable contractors OUT of the picture and staff up what we need to do the job!
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
While I agree with that we should have a draft, no politician (or very few) will touch it.
Right now our wars are being fought by the poor and soldiers of fortune.
There should be a universal draft - random drawings to make quotas, and very, very limited deferrments. There would be less support for "pre-emptive" wars like Iraq, which is really an imperialist grab for Iraq's oil.
The morass in Iraq is being manned by a very small percentage of our population - and they keep getting sent again and again. It's wrong.
Eliminate outsourcing of military functions - like transport, food, etc., there was none of that in Vietnam - we did it. (well, come to think of it - we were actually flown to Vietnam by commercial airlines!)
US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69 5th District, NJ
I think our policies would definitely be more circumspect with a draft in place Quick. But it might not ttransmit to preemption as you state necessarily. Be reminded that all of our wars throughout our nation's history from the Barbary Corsairs on on have been really preemptive (except for the war of 1812 that is) in nature if you really look at them. But I think a draft would make it easier to bridge any ends-means disconnects in foreign policy strategic implementation that would be in our national interest. The unaccountable use of Blackwater and contractors to take up the military's tasking personnel shortfalls are all black marks that smudge what good we are attempting to do and defray from our National Interest and our values as a nation.
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
"Be reminded that all of our wars throughout our nation's history from the Barbary Corsairs on on have been really preemptive (except for the war of 1812 that is) in nature if you really look at them."
The Barbary pirates were stopping our ships. The Japanese attacked us at Pearl Harbor, an Germany declared war 2 days later.
What did the Iraqis do to us? To follow your logic, we should have attacked Saudi Arabia (but then, we already have a lock on the Saudi oil).
US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69 5th District, NJ
I have no love for the administration either, but congress carries equal responsibility.
agree. bottom line is it makes america look bad. a direct reflection in my opinion of those in power regardless of party.
Absolutely. It's why congress has a lower approval rating than even Bush does.
As I indicated, in my opinion congress has largely outsourced their own jobs - letting lobbyists actually draft proposed legislation, then congress rubber-stamps it. Disgusting.
US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69 5th District, NJ
Don't forget Congress has also abrogated their authority to declare war. Their oversight of the Commander in Chief should be in direct relation to their authority to declare war---not in reaction to their inability to exercise their authority.
Phil
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Consitutionally the Presidency is a very weak office. The President historically takes what Congress gives him or lets him get away. Not much more and not much less.
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
A weak Congress can sure make a bad President appear powerful.
Phil
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Or a Congress whose power has been bifurcated as well by to the K St crowd. That is what happens when you see the demise of strong Party leadership who can moderate the debate effectively rather than pander to and spout the respective partisan bases demands (as represented by K-Street influencers).
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
You nailed it Quick! Congress (and a good chunk of the Exec Branch as well) has outsourced their jobs/responsibilities to the K-Street Special Intrests and Lobbyists (the real center of power in DC). Working in the Legislative and Exec Branches any more has in the last 25 years or so degenerated to just a minor league tune-up to the real cushy and power ladened jobs here in DC - on K Street!
The revolving door in and out of Legislative and Exec Branches has accelerated at such a pace in the last 20 years that people's heads would spin in sad disbelief if they realized the full extent of it!! Thus the growing lack of competency, accountability and responsibility in government and the vast and growing ends-means disconnects throughout. One word decribes this sad state - Dysfunctional!!
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
And you want to draft men to serve at the behest of these criminals?
That's all the draft argument you get from me here, gave plenty on another string.
I say limit the "outsourcing" all the way around from K Street to the the Blackwaters. Time to get back to citizenry authorized mandates and policy implementation from top to bottom! A draft actually would help in that effort Quick.
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
The need for Blackwater and other contractors is simply more proof that the all-volunteer military approach does not work. Disregarding the ill-conceived pre-emptive strike policy for the moment, obviously we could not have gone into Iraq in the first place with a sufficient contingent because of the failed all volunteer military could not have recruited enough soldiers to sustain the campaign.
Phil
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Right problem, wrong solution. True, our military is strapped, but the answer to the manpower should be a draft so that the public at large would have an interest in whatever war we engage in. Right now, most of us are immune to the war in Iraq's human toll.
US Marine vet Vietnam 4/68 - 8/69 5th District, NJ
quick some might consider your above post an over simplification. it is not. it is right on the mark. as one dead american soldiers mother was recently quoted in newsweek "why am i planning a funeral while bush is planning a wedding?"
Phil
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if you want to really see what this war is about ie oil & profiteering see how blackwater went from a 300k a year company to a 1 billion+ a year company (our money by the way). these companies are all in bed with the current administration. but dont beleive me read this article.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/10/02/blackwater_bush/