Fog of war: Using corporate mercenaries as a steam valve to hide war crimes

Fog of war: Using corporate mercenaries as a steam valve to hide war crimes

"In the counsels of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the Military Industrial Complex." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Our military is being abused like a rented mule. We are at war with Afghanistan, Iraq and have lingered in past war torn nations like Germany and Korea for decades. Our military is at the breaking point. The fighting force of America is stretched so thin that it is dangerous. Now the Bush regime is looking towards Iran as the next country to be conquered in their futile desire for full spectrum dominance.

As it is now the Department of Defense cannot plan military operations in Iraq without corporate mercenaries like Blackwater USA[1], DynCorp, and Aegis. This seems to benefit both parties as mercs will do what ever is necessary in the name of the almighty dollar. Blackwater USA has a history of violence against civilians[2].

The Pentagon has been sensitive to criticism ever since Rumsfeld was sent packing. Corporate Mercenaries are expensive but they allow the DoD to avoid all responsibility just in case one the ‘embedded’ reporters actually slips a truthful story past the ‘Reality Control Board’[3].

Assassinations, depleted uranium rounds and mayhem are the tip of the iceberg. The news is so censored in Iraq that we may not know the full truth for some time. We know for a fact that the Uniformed Code of Military Justice does not apply to any contracted military force. We also know that Blackwater murdered eight civilians[4] and has had its license to operate in Iraq revoked. That of course will not stand and pressure will be brought to bear on the Iraqi interior minister and he will have a ‘change of heart’.

Many early critics of the Blackwater and their ilk had no clue that these ruthless soldiers of fortune would be in New Orleans post-Katrina[5]. Blackwater operating on American Soil is stunning and now DynCorp[6] who is well known for running sex slavery rings plans to police the southern border[7].

We should never allow lawless mercenaries to operate in Iraq or in America with little or no oversight. The killings in Iraq are just the beginning when our government relies on unscrupulous hired guns. Now the Americans in Iraq cannot leave the green-zone for fear of reprisals[8].

These Mercenaries are nothing more than steam valves for the government and the American public is unable to see the facts on the ground due to the fog of war that is being created by Blackwater USA. We were warned about the military industrial complex and now Eisenhower is rolling in his grave.

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Michael Vail
Clever tyrants are never punished. --Voltaire

1. Hampton Roads. Blackwater: Inside America's Private Army. 2006 [cited; Available from: http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=108106&ran=202193.

2. GJ Sentinel. Blackwater Guards Accused of Past Deaths. 2007 [cited; Available from: http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/Middle_East/Iraq_Blackwater_Controversies.html.

3. Guardian Unlimited. Embedded reporters 'sanitised' Iraq war. 2003 [cited; Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1078652,00.html.

4. Alternet. Blackwater Mercenaries Shoot Up Civilians, Police in Baghdad; License Revoked. 2007 [cited; Available from: http://www.alternet.org/audits/62770/.

5. Alternet. Blackwater Down. 2005 [cited; Available from: http://alternet.org/katrina/25858/.

6. Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones. Dyncorp and Halliburton Sex Slave Scandal Won't Go Away. 2006 [cited; Available from: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/010106sexslavescandal.htm.

7. El Paso Times. Private security force isn't desirable. 2007 [cited; Available from: http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_6847673.

8. AP. U.S. civilians lie low in Iraq after shootings. 2007 [cited; Available from: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2007/09/19/iraq0919.html.