Rumsfeld asked to explain role of private security contractors in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040410/pl_afp/us_iraq_congress&cid=1521&ncid=1473

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Thirteen of the most powerful opposition US senators on Friday released a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asking to explain the role of civilian contractors in Iraq.

The letter follows the killing and mutilation of four US security contractors in Fallujah, Iraq, on March 31.


In a letter to Rumsfeld dated April 8 -- but released Friday -- the senators expressed concern about "private armies operating outside the control of governmental authority."


The letter also questioned if there were adequate numbers of US troops in Iraq.

more

[democracyindanger]

1. FINALLY! nt

[sspiderjohn]

2. Aren't they something like our unofficial Stormtroopers? SS Guys?

I say this based on a letter in one of the forums yesterday which noted how the "private contractors" seemed free to mistreat the Iraqi citizens in ways US soldiers could not.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. If it weren't so tragic...

People had to die before we could say, I told you so. There's a pattern here. Republicans are not pro-active enough to make decisions that involve human life. In business, they take risks to make profit. The gutzier a CEO is in taking risk, the higher the rewards. But when you privatize military operations, the risks involve human life. They also involve human life when you're dealing with serious environmental issues, and products that may cause injury or death, but those losses have successfully been marginalized with tort reform.

What I find interesting, is that they will not be able to limit their losses this time, because they can't hide the death of those privatized soldiers. It's out there playing on television everyday. They were able to limit their losses in cases that involved civil torts, but now we see that expedient business methods have no place in war zones.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

8. As a corollary to your statement,

Their willingness to take risks increases dramatically when it's only "little people" who are at risk.

[bobthedrummer]

4. Well, by golly, there are those campaign contributions, for instance...

Campaign Contributions of Post-War Contractors
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=contrib

and, one would think, profits for those of us connected to the mecrcenaries, those of us with the proper vision, by gosh...

Post-War Contractors Ranked by Total Contract Value in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=total

[seemslikeadream]

15. These guys?

[drscm]

5. Let me understand this...

The current mis-administration is unwilling to work with the UN, in part, because they wish to maintain sole control of the military operations in Iraq.

Yet, we are paying a fortune to corporations, who in turn hire their own private armies outside of the control of the military.

Yup. Makes sense to me. Not.

[Mari333]

6. Kerry's office told me they asked the Bush admin to Fire Rumsfield

and they were
ignored.

[bobthedrummer]

7. Gee whiz, it helps us in force transformation, and implementing the

Revolution in Military Affairs, by golly. What's wrong with augmenting the services required by any military by outsourcing whatever we can so that our professional troops can perform their roles more effectively, gosh, while saving money and utilizing personnel more effectively? One would think that by outsourcing to private companies that do what they do extremely well, well I just fail to see that that just doesn't make sense, don't you think?

Wounded GI's get free hospital meals
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=21368

[bobthedrummer]

9. Gosh, in many cases this actually reduces the danger to our professional

military, when we outsource certain hazardous tasks that one wouldn't normally task to our forces, isn't that a smarter and more effective way to do things, don't you think, especially in other cultures where contractors have more relevant experiences, in many cases.

I mean why put our troops in strange situations, gee whiz, when outsourcing can actually reduce the inherent risks, by engaging the services of private companies that do this routinely, tasks that would require much special training and more expenses to our strained budgetary constraints.

Dominica
http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/page17a.html

[hippiechick]

10. Oh as if they didn't KNOW about the 'contractors'...

:eyes: PUH-leeeze

Maybe a 1st term senator from Bumfuck Alaska might not know that our government does - and has always done - under the table shit like this ... but those that have been in DC for any amount of time ?

OF COURSE THEY KNOW WHAT THE "CONTRACTORS" ARE ALL ABOUT !!!!


:hippie:

[Robbien]

14. Every single Senator/Representative who has visited Iraq

has been guarded by these private contractors.

This letter is just a formal notification to Rumsfeld that Rumsfeld now has a new "hot" potato.

[soothsayer]

11. Good. Rumsfeld looks like he's becoming increasingly unhinged.

This may push him over the brink into a full crack up. He's Dr. Strangelove.

[bobthedrummer]

13. Ever read the transcript of his "Message to the People of Iraq"???

Here is what he said to the Iraqis on April 30, 2003.
http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2003/tr20030430-secdef0138.html

:nuke:

[stepnw1f]

12. This Is Where The Money Really Went!

[struggle4progress]

16. Pay "private contractors" 1000X ordinary troops pay ...

but make ordinary troops buy their own body armor and pay for their own hospital meals when wounded. All who like this Republican philosophy, please say "aye."

<edit: spelling>

[54anickel]

17. They were just moving kitchen equipment - honest! According to

the article in this other thread from Blackwaters own investigation of the incident. :eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x475363

The convoy was on a mission to pick up kitchen equipment, and had little cause for suspicion, the newspaper reported.

[mediaman007]

18. We better hire these guys, because

if they don't work for us, they'll work for bin laden. They are only loyal to the person (corporation) that signs the checks.

They are the products of the outlandish money we spend on "defense."

[cliss]

19. It appears we have our missing expenses....

I've been waiting patiently for Bush's cousin L. Paul Bremer to account for the missing billions that we taxpayers are spending on this adventure. We know we spend $4.2 billion per month in Iraq.

About 8 months ago a Christian organization looked into the finances and discovered that only half of this was accounted for. Senator Kennedy suspected that we spent the rest on bribes to foreign countries like Pakistan.

It was big news: Bremer promised that he was going to account for all the money on a website soon. I have been waiting, but have not seen any figures.

Looks like the money didn't go quite that far. It went to Blackwater and other mercenary outfits.