Am I understanding this right???

[Racenut20]

The Pentagon has spent part of its Iraq billions hiring mercenary soldiers of fortune for up to $1000.00 per day (to the security companies) to guard and protect American GI positions and thus keep a reduced amount of soldiers for search and destroy missions instead of guard duty, where they are most apt to be attacked????? And that there are thousands of them there from South Africa, South America, etc....

[kalian]

1. Nope...you got it wrong....

its companies, such as Halliburton, that have hired mercs to
protect their buildings and personnel.

[Toucano]

8. Whoa...just a minute.

The Blackwater has mercenaries protecting Bremer. The aren't hired by Halliburton.

[mulethree]

13. And Haliburton is on Govt contract

Which makes their security contractors into govt sub-contractors.

So the government is paying sub-contractors $1000 a day, but cutting back on hazardous duty type pay for the soldiers that are there for $75 per day. I wonder what they pay the Iraqi locals who are doing security and police work?

[arcane1]

2. wait, there's more

while they are paying these guys $500-1,000 per day using the best equipment, those front-line soldiers are having to BUY THEIR OWN ARMOR!!!

but hey, it's ok if htey die, they are just poor middle-class losers, right? We gotta protect the mercenaries, because there are very expensive kickbacks involved :puke:

[Stephanie]

14. This is huge

This should be a huge, huge frigging deal. This is outrageous.

[arcane1]

17. my Republican dad, who is in the NG and should know better

told me in no uncertain terms that he blames the armor shortages on Clinton

yes, he was serious

:puke:

[prolesunited]

20. By what convoluted logic

does your dad think it's Clinton's fault?

[arcane1]

23. convoluted republican Fox News anti-logic

that's how. It's really quite simple:

-anything good happens w/the troops, credit Bush

-anything bad happens w/the troops, blame Clinton

facts are mere obstacles that the discplined repube mind can easily disregard when convenient

[sadiesworld]

21. I have no idea what Clinton did or didn't do re armor, but...

it's pretty clear at this point that Iraq was on the monkey's mind from the get-go, so he had over 2 years to make sure the soldiers were protected for HIS war.

[arcane1]

22. and it also wasn't Clinton's idea to send reservists to the front lines

in 2002, no less!

[DenverDem]

3. The great transfer of the wealth swindle.

bushlerco is enriching its cronies with both hands at every level.

[Wonk]

4. $1500-$2000 a day, from what I understand.

(a snip from the Apr. 12, 2004 issue of TIME)

The current business boom is in Iraq. Blackwater charges its clients $1,500 to $2,000 a day for each hired gun.

[indepat]

5. The most massive fraud since God created man?

[rman]

24. a sub-plot thereof, i'd say

-

[SheilaT]

7. Whatever Blackwater is

charging, the mercenaries are probably getting no more than half of that.

[DenverDem]

9. $300,000 plus per annum to whack poor Iraqis seems pretty good pay.

The hired killers are not there for their love of freedom, just the freedom that $1000 a day buys.

[maggrwaggr]

28. yeah, they're basically a temp agency

instead of typing or answering the phones, you get to run around with weapons and kill people.

Completely outside of the law. Or I guess the "law" is whatever Blackwater says it is.

[Racenut20]

6. So is this part of Halliburton's cost plus contract with the Pentagon?

[Undercutter]

10. yeah well

you can't really equate your average run-of-a-mill GI with an ex-seal or green beret either.

[Stephanie]

15. We have CURRENT seals and green berets.

Why are we hiring EX ones?

You people will cheer on the outsourcing as your house is being foreclosed and your car towed away and your job long since gone to China.

This is war profiteering at its grossest. This is wrong on so many levels.

[arcane1]

18. "your average run-of-a-mill GI" is expendable?

:shrug:

must be why they don't get the $500 a day, why they don't get the kevlar, why they don't get the armored humvees, but they are FIRST IN LINE!!!!!

gimmie a break

[newyawker99]

25. Hi Undercutter!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[semiote]

11. Accountability

Something was brought up on the Majority Report tonight, which I plan to do research on: what is the accountability in principle of hired mercenaries? Are they subject to the Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Is the U.S. accountable for human rights violations committed by mercenaries? Of course, this is a theoretical question: the U.S. is careful not to allow itself to be subject to international bodies that rule on human rights and the legality of foreign policies. But what's the official stance of the U.S. government vis a vis mercenaries. What is the U.S. committed in virtue of the treaties and international agreements to which it is a signator?

[LearnedHand]

12. Excellent point!

I've wondered about this myself. In addition, I've wondered whether these mercenaries will be eligible for veteran's rights, veteran's healthcare? Who pays the costs for treating injured mercenaries?

And these absolutely are NOT theoretical questions, because we just had four of these people killed, mutilated, and publically displayed. Who shoulders the costs to the families?

[Stephanie]

16. Alluded to in this article

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=admin/registration/register&destination=register&nextstep=gather&application=reg30-world&applicationURL=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53059-2004Apr5.html


The Blackwater commandos, most of whom are former Special Forces troops, are on contract to provide security for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Najaf.

<snip>

During the defense of the authority headquarters, thousands of rounds were fired and hundreds of 40mm grenades shot. Sources who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of Blackwater's work in Iraq reported an unspecified number of casualties among Iraqis.

A spokesman for Blackwater confirmed that the company has a contract to provide security to the CPA but would not describe the incident that unfolded Sunday.

A Defense Department spokesman said that there were no military reports about the opening hours of the siege on CPA headquarters in Najaf because there were no military personnel on the scene. The Defense Department often does not have a clear handle on the daily actions of security contractors because the contractors work directly for the coalition authority, which coordinates and communicates on a limited basis through the normal military chain of command.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[newyawker99]

26. Hi semiote!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[maggrwaggr]

27. THAT is the one problem I have with mercenaries

I don't really care if we're paying a trained-killer enlisted Marine or a trained-killer "private" mercenary, to me it's all the same.

Except for this accountability issue. It's a REAL problem. Obviously, these mercenaries work outside of the Armed Forces, so they cannot possibly be held accountable to the standards.

I.e. how would you court martial a mercenary? Who would arrest him? Who would prosecute?

They are WAY out of even the gray area on this.

They are lawless.

[Dunedain]

31. Not really

They are covered under the 2nd article of the UCMJ.

802. ART. 2. PERSONS SUBJECT TO THIS CHAPTER

(10) In time of war, persons serving with or accompanying an armed force in the field.

[Bandit]

19. Ain't "No Bid Contracts" Grand?

We keep our troops on food stamps but pay soldiers for hire a grand a day. Only in America. Jesus would have done it this way also. :crazy:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

29. this is huge and needs to be brought into the public's awareness...WHO....

owns these fucking security firms like Blackwater????
didn't some of the bushies sons buy security firms...i recall Marvin did ...which other bushies do? "Securacom"

[maggrwaggr]

30. oh but it has been! Didn't you read the WashPost? These men are Heroes!

barf ..... barf .......