Private Contractors...A failure of morality?

[Cossack]

Recently the press has covered the large amount of private contractors that are being employed in suprisingly large numbers. Now I am not talking about the hired janitors or KP crew, I am talking about private soldiers with guns on the ground in places like Fallujah and Nasariyah. Now do not get me wrong I do not think that the state should run everything, much to your suprise I am not a Communist. However the state has responsibilites that should be held sacroscant! One of these is DEFENCE! People want smaller government ,o r they say that they do not want to pay taxes. However, turning our army into a conglomerate of corporations is going to prove fatal because corporations serve only one purpose and that is profit. For these "war companies to prosper there must be war."  You people dont want to pay for healthcare? Fine. You people dont want to pay for schools? More power to you. However Defense should not be directly contolled by profiteers. Am I the only one or does the concept of corporations with private armies scare you?

You dont want to buy a Big Mac? Too bad Bubba says you're wrong.

["Sixhits"]

You're not the only one who's worried about legal private armies.

Hardline capitalists always state that the invisible hand of the market will sort shit out. They tend towards privatization and they want to see that because they believe the incentive of profit will compel people towards better things.

But they always overlook that that incentive for profit is a pure incentive - without any limits on the incentive or the means of achieving it then all that matters is profit. Fuck people, fuck countries: just me, me, me.

And we see it exemplied to the oddest of degrees in Iraq.

These mercs may be there in order to protect the oil lines, guard big deal civies, or protect some shit. But we must remember they do it for the highest bidder and they do it for their own selfish gain.

Now we see four mercenaries put in harms way at their own request in order that they profit brutally murdered by fringe radical elements.

What is the result? The full power of the CPA and the US armed forces is thrown at the radicals.

What we're seeing is that private armies can have incredible influence over national defence. They in fact have clearly demonstrated an overt influence. They stuck their nose out, they got it cut off, and we have to clean up their mess.

[BTs_GhostSniper]

When I was transferring from the Army to the Air Force in 1994 I was approached by a company (who shall remain nameless) to basically be a mercenary to protect some of their interests in Kuwait.  At the time I didn't feel it would be in my own country's best interest to take such an offer.  But man, for the money they wanted to pay me, I WAS CRAZY NOT TO DO IT!!!   lol

Then again, I might not be alive today to talk about it if I had.  

[alaric]

Let's be clear: these aren't "private armies" they're private security forces. Which is just a fancy word for "bodyguards". The are not running amok across the Iraqi countryside spoiling for a fight, they're protecting the people who hire them.

Iraq is a very dangerous, and quite frankly, lawless land right now. It only make sense that'd you'd see a lot of personal defense contractors in these days.

[cO.gabe]

They also have private security officers that you can employ in countries such as Israel, where it may not be safe in some places to be wandering around by yourself.  For large groups of dumb tourists, having security guards is often a good choice.  Or you might get  

[BTs_GhostSniper]

Why does everyone always have to be so fuckin EMO and put some mushy famous quote at the bottom of all their posts?

Hey Gabe, who are you talking about?