I’ll make this real fucking simple. Today – as nuclear Pakistan seems to be coming unglued – we watched the President of the United States clearly demonstrate that he cares infinitely more about his wretchedly pointless war and wars-to-come than the health of the nation’s children. In so doing, he provided an interesting twist on Herman Goering’s old dictum of “guns before butter”. And why aren’t we all out in the street screaming? Because we’d better do it soon, as we learn Bush now has his own private merc army, answerable to no military or civil authority, all too ready to be set to suppressing domestic dissent. Some girl sends the following from Newsweek…
I'm not here to defend Blackwater's "professionalism", but that line, "This is my safety", comes from the movie Blackhawk Down.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought along those lines, I'm sure that Blackhawk is evil, should be dismantled etc., but I think the attacks on them are coming from the Officer Corp. Blackhawk is very much a product of the Rumsfeld Doctrine. Rummie wanted to do away with the military and buy military services from private contractors. Not surprisingly, career military people fought back. Blackhawk is luring elite professional killers out of the military. Other contractors are performing non combat services that were formerly performed by soldiers. It's hard to advance one's career as a military bureaucrat if the career opportunities are being privatized away. Unlike the cold war, the war on terror has not been a money maker for the military elite.
ReplyDeleteIt creeps me out to be on the same side as the top brass, but they're becoming very political, and, for their own reasons, they are sometimes fighting next to, if not exactly with, us.
If anyone's around to write the history of America in the early 21st century, it will be a history of secret coup and counter coup. It's not so much that there's a conspiracy, as that there's a shitload of conspiracies.
Which side are you on boys?
I was surprised to learn Pakistan’s nuclear arms are our fault. I obviously need to upgrade my cynicism.
ReplyDeleteIn this century cynicism knows no ceiling. Everyone should click onto the story Max has posted. It's another read it and weep.
ReplyDeleteBlackwater are hired guns who will work for the highest bidder. That, plus the fact that there are 120,000 mercs of various kinds in Iraq makes the whole idea real fucking dangerous.
ReplyDeleteOops, I meant Blackwater in my second post. Thanks a lot for the link to the article on Pakistan. One can only dream of the war crimes tribunal that should be held.
ReplyDelete