Traditional 'Murikan Fun

One of the biggest private security firms in Iraq has created outrage after a memo to staff claimed it is 'fun' to shoot people.

Emails seen by The Observer reveal that employees of Blackwater Security were recently sent a message stating that 'actually it is "fun" to shoot some people.'

Dated 7 March and bearing the name of Blackwater's president, Gary Jackson, the electronic newsletter adds that terrorists 'need to get creamed, and it's fun, meaning satisfying, to do the shooting of such folk.' ...

It is one of the fastest growing private security firms in the world, and achieved global prominence last year when four of its men were ambushed by a crowd of Iraqis and their bodies mutilated and dragged around the Iraqi city of Falluja.

I can't imagine why.

Other Blackwater emails seen by The Observer, from last year, indicate the large market for civilian contractors in war zones. 'We will probably require at least 3000-4000 professionals above and beyond what we have in the Blackwater employment and resource system,' states one.

There are thought to be as many as 20,000 private enterprise soldiers in Iraq, with the US military an advocate of their use. This system allows governments to save money on paying permanent soldiers, and offers the political bonus that it is unlikely to attract as much media attention as conventional troops.

The media seems to disregard pretty much everything going on in Iraq that reflects poorly on Dear Leader, but...

According to figures current during the active war a year ago, the salary of a soldier in the lowest rank who has one year's service was $15,480 a year - only a thousand dollars more than the average pay for an usher in a movie theatre in the USA. The pay for an experienced corporal of three years of service was $19,980 a year.

For this, US soldiers are on the frontlines in Iraq, risking their lives; with over 700 dead, and many more returning home amputees and permanently impaired, they have much at risk, yet their nation recompenses them with minimal pay.

Meanwhile, the government pays private firms between $500 and $1,500 a day for the experienced military personnel they supply in Iraq. That works out to mercenaries who often earn between $150,000 and $250,000 a year.

And those are just the muscle guys we've contracted. Specialists make far more money. And when the going gets tough, the hired help get going... away, as fast as possible.

Since contractors are private corporations not directly included in the chain of command, they retain the right to refuse to perform certain operations. That is, they can quit at any time without fear of repercussions, whereas in the army, soldiers are required to obey orders. Refusal to perform generally occurs when the contractors consider the situation too dangerous, i.e. in a situation which could result in kidnapping and/or death. Unfortunately, this is also when their services are most needed. Consequently, at vital times, front-line soldiers find themselves without the support they require to perform their missions (GlobalPolicy.org). A career contracting officer, Colonel Steven Zamparelli stated in the Air Force Journal of Logistics, "Today, the military relies heavily on contractors for this support. If death becomes a real threat, there is no doubt that some contractors will exercise their legal rights to get out of the theater.

I know, I know, if we're not for them, we're against them. Support our troops and all that. Still, what color ribbon to put on the SUV for people who kill for fun and profit?

Thanks to rorsach for the link.