Listening to news of the latest known civilian killing by private armies employed by the US in Iraq, this time it was a taxi driver who was shot dead by a DynCorp goon, reminded me of a college history class from years ago, that touched on the disastrous use of of private soldiers (”militias” back then). Why people keep thinking this model will work is a bit perplexing, unless you consider the distraction factor.
Certainly, CEOs for Blackwater, DynCorp and so forth need to be dragged to the Hague alsong with Dick Cheney and and his various accomplices, but while the news has been over there, the regular, old fashioned U.S. military shouldn’t be forgotten as the death toll for Iraqis tops one million.
I leave with this quote from an academic paper for a Denver University history class, composed by J. B. Calvert. I arrived there on the first link with a google search containing the words Mexican war, armature and militias.
“The U.S. militia forces were a plague–murdering, looting, raping and brewing a zone of debauchery and crime around themselves, to the dismay of the regular army. General Scott’s General Orders No. 20 went a long way to ameliorating this problem, establishing tribunals for crimes done by, on and among U.S. military personnel. Revenge for Goliad and the Alamo was amply carried out by Texans on anybody they could find in the dark.”
Just do a text find ‘n replace search for militia force, replacing it with military contractors and you’ll pretty much get something that would run in today’s press.
Tags: Iraq, United States, war crimesBrowse Timeline
- « More people would listen to Howard Zinn if his content was online and available to share
- » It’s at times like these that I miss Olympia
Related Entries
-
5 Years Too Many...Dear OPEC, it’s time for another oil embargo...Iraq war memorial in Olympia...Report from Rafah on bombings today...New Music Video Features "Eyes Wide Open" Boots...
Recently commented