From yesterday's Guardian, via Helpful Reader Ghida, "The privatisation of war":
Private corporations have penetrated western warfare so deeply that they are now the second biggest contributor to coalition forces in Iraq after the Pentagon, a Guardian investigation has established.While the official coalition figures list the British as the second largest contingent with around 9,900 troops, they are narrowly outnumbered by the 10,000 private military contractors now on the ground.
The investigation has also discovered that the proportion of contracted security personnel in the firing line is 10 times greater than during the first Gulf war. In 1991, for every private contractor, there were about 100 servicemen and women; now there are 10.
The private sector is so firmly embedded in combat, occupation and peacekeeping duties that the phenomenon may have reached the point of no return: the US military would struggle to wage war without it.
While reliable figures are difficult to come by and governmental accounting and monitoring of the contracts are notoriously shoddy, the US army estimates that of the $87bn (£50.2bn) earmarked this year for the broader Iraqi campaign, including central Asia and Afghanistan, one third of that, nearly $30bn, will be spent on contracts to private companies.
Thank you for the fresh air.
It seems the entire tv media have been forced
to be rebublicans. All the interviews of
democrats are well prepared and scathing.
It is like the entire world is now in the hands
of big oil. The nations, media, militaries, and our unelected little team of userpers of democracy.
The day they stopped counting the vote was the day they told us, our vote didn't count.
Only a French Kind of Revolution cold ever stop this oil machine.
Halberton was given the bid in December, and we hadn't even started the "war".
It reminds me of the old battle between the oil companies who lit the streets. And fought tooth and nail to keep Edison Electric from Lighting New York. Cars have been running on hydrogen from water since 1975. Cars run on swamp gas and garbage. Their day is over so they are fighting for the control of the world. It is the only explaniation for the gas companies support of the muslim militia in cleaning out Sudan of its non-muslim people living on a big oil deposit....
Check it out,,, type sudan, oil, persecution.
We could have spent the 800 Billion building trade and relations with Russia, and Ukrane countries rather than dropping that much on Afghanistan, and Bagdad in bombs, travel, hand outs and 8 bill to Halberton. Cheneys Company...
We are all overwhelmed. I don't know why the democrats didn't rebel against the cancelation of the count by the rebublican supreme court.....
But, then again, George Senior was in the CIA,
head of it as well. Then vice president. Then, he was President. Hmmmmm and now his stupid son is in charge of the world and has wrecked all of americas international good will since WW1.
He is the ugly american. We are despized among nations.
We should all file a disclaimer, stating
"I didn't elect this pretender to the office.
I didn't want the 7-8 billion dollar war. I think he is an idiot just like all of you out there". "Pleases, would some nation come and free us from this Oligharchy of Stupid Greedy, Lying People.". Oh yes, and, no one who didn't want the war has to pay for it. Those who promoted it, all the news men on tv, and radio. And the one or two americans I ran into that wanted the war. Let them pay for it. They have my permission to chase down Enron, World com, Halberton, Bushs Oil Shipping in Dubai and all the other people who sent our jobs over seas. Let them pay for it.
I think I have said enough,,,,,,
Mike p.s. I was a love child of the 60's
Well said.
Posted by: Zog on December 13, 2003 04:03 PMI am a hobo in the house of the lord.
Posted by: Youman Leah on January 20, 2004 07:32 PM
