Whenever an American politician does, or says, something decent I get a renewed sense of hope. I should have learned my lesson by now , but hey, pessimists die and optimists don't.

I wonder what these mercenaries are asked to do, for nine times regular pay ?

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668.....the neighbour of the beast.

Yanqui, go home.

Well, regardless of their actions, somebody in Congress approved the appropriations to hire mercenaries. It is also the case, that the conflict in Iraq couldn't, apparently, be maintained without mercenaries. We can point all the fingers we want at Blackwater, and the like, for their apparent insensitivities, yet the fact remains, that it is our government that is ultimately responsible for their deployment to an urban combat zone, with inadequate mandate or chain of command.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."

-Thomas Jefferson

I wonder then if a court action would prove able to winkle out government instructions to Blackwater.

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668.....the neighbour of the beast.

Yanqui, go home.

I bet those Blackwater guys are all dirty Zionists from Israel.

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"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

President George W. Bush, 8-5-2004

Carolina Politics Online

THIS IS REAL HOPE AND CHANGE!

They guard civilian property and personnel.

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I suspect that they also form death squads, kidnap and assassinate to order, run lucrative extortion and protection operations and operate a black market in misappropriated US weaponry for the benefit of themselves and their Blackwater bosses.

Saminthesouth;
You reckon ? I'll take you up on that. Prove it.

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668.....the neighbour of the beast.

Yanqui, go home.

Good for Obama. This practice needs to be stopped. War is the business of the state and of the state only.

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I really don't see what the big deal is. I'm wouldn't think many people would want to defend privatization of the military. I would assume anybody that supports the military would be appalled that people are over there making much more than the real soldiers with better body armer and less oversight.

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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

It is intended that a private army will be available to continue the economic and political war for Oil when US forces are removed.

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