Cart (0)
VIDEOThe Bad Boys of Business: Blackwater
It may have killed a few civilians, but it sure beats the draft.
 |
|
“Blackwater is getting a bad rap," said President Barack Obama -- who was provided with protection by Blackwater while in Afghanistan -- in July 2008.
War is not a pleasant business.
People get hurt. People die. But it’s all part of the program once you sign on the dotted line and become the exclusive property of the US military for the term of your hitch.
The draft ended in 1973. However, wars didn’t. Naturally, without mandatory armed service, it became more and more difficult to maintain effective troop levels. So, love them or hate them, private military contractors like Blackwater (now renamed Xe, pronounced “Zee”), stepped in to plug the gaps.
US Navy veteran David Isenberg is a military affairs analyst with the Cato Institute. As he wrote, “despite the so-called Revolution in Military Affairs that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld championed, [war] is a highly people-powered endeavor. And most people have decided that their children, much like Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War, have ‘better things to do.’ ”
With Americans having “better things to do” than go into battle, Blackwater’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan stoked quite a bit of controversy -- as would be expected of any private force entering a hot zone.
"Warzones are hostile, unpredictable places," says Stacy DeLuke, a Blackwater spokesperson. "Bad things happen, even with the best intentions. We, as a company, are saddened by any loss of human life."
Almost immediately, the outcry began. What seemed to have been forgotten was that these men weren't scooping cones at Haagen Dazs shops before their deployments. Blackwater hires former US Navy SEAL Team members, former members of the Australian Special Air Service, Canadian Special Forces, United Kingdom Special Boat Service, US Army Special Forces, US Army Rangers, and the like.
“These are not 18-year olds right out of high school," Blackwater's DeLuke says. "These are seasoned veterans who’ve had extensive military experience, some have even been lifetime military who love what they do, love their country, and more importantly, believe in it. They want to come back [to military life] and we provide them a venue in which to make that happen.”
On April 1, 2009, the Associated Press reported that forensic tests proved inconclusive and that none of the bullets fired came from rifles used by Blackwater guards.
Again, Cato’s Isenberg:
“If people don't want to use private contractors, the choices are simple. Either scale back US geopolitical commitments or enlarge the military, something that will entail more gargantuan expenditures and even, some argue, a return to the draft down the road.Isenberg goes on to explain the issue in more depth: “Looked at historically private military contractors are as American as apple pie. In fact, without private contractors there would not have been an America. Or, to paraphrase Genesis: In the beginning, God created private contractors.”
"Personally, I prefer the former. But most people prefer substituting contractors for draftees. As former Marine colonel Jack Holly said, ‘We’re never going to war without the private security industry again in a non-draft environment.’ ”
I know, I know -- your first response is likely something inappropriate for a family audience. My answer? Read on.
“An Italian by the name of Christophorus (Christopher) Columbus was essentially working as a private contractor for the king and queen of Spain when he made his famous voyage in 1492 and subsequent ones that started the process of Spanish colonization, which foreshadowed general European settlement of the 'New World.' "Never thought about it that way before.
“And Captain John Smith was hired by the Virginia Co. to provide security and conduct military operations for the English settlers at Jamestown. He led the 1606 expedition to Virginia and was elected head of Jamestown colony.”Ditto.
“During the American Revolution more than 2,000 privately owned warships were commissioned by Congress to attack the enemy and seize transports and sell their cargoes for money during the American Revolution. Sailors made more in a month than they might otherwise earn in a year. Does that sound familiar?”Actually, yes. It does.
“And, on the ground, it was a private businessman who, before the start of the Revolution, offered to build a thousand-man army at his own expense, if the Continental Congress, of which he was a member, failed to fund a standing military. That was a far more financially risky endeavor than anything a private security firm like Blackwater has ever attempted. That entrepreneur was George Washington.”
George Washington. Heard of him. You?
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
