The growing penchant for using private contractors such as Blackwater to fight proxy wars is extremely disturbing. As a deep revulsion continues to grow against the war in Iraq, the use of mercenaries could well subvert the will of the people and would be a direct threat to our fragile democracy. The attempted theft of Iraq’s oil resources under the guise of ushering in the ‘fresh breeze of democracy’ has created a genocidal conflict exacerbated by the presence of soldiers of fortune Granted immunity from prosecution in Iraq by the now disgraced Paul Bremer, the former US czar of Iraq, these mercenaries have been responsible for scores of civilian fatalities and thus intensified the rage against US occupation forces.
Tragically, Congress continues to bankroll these ‘for profit’ soldiers of fortune from Blackwater and at least 25 other private military corporations. According to R.J. Hillhouse’s website, TheSpyWhoBilledMe.com, the U.S, spends $42 billion annually on private intelligence contractors amounting to 70 percent of the U.S. intelligent budget. What is particularly galling is the practice of hiring these foreign companies to serve as law enforcement officers in U.S. cities. For example, Blackwater and ISI—Instinctive Shooting International (veterans of Israeli military, police and intelligence operations) were used to ‘police’ New Orleans following the Katrina disaster.
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