U.S. Is Faulted for Using Private Military Workers

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. Is Faulted for Using Private Military Workers
The reliance on security firms to interrogate and transport suspected terrorists has created 'rule-free zones,' says Amnesty International.
By Peter Spiegel, Times Staff Writer
May 24, 2006


WASHINGTON — The U.S. government's use of private military contractors to conduct interrogations in Iraq and to transport suspected terrorists creates "rule-free zones" and allows abuses to go unpunished, Amnesty International charged Tuesday.

There are 20 known cases of civilian contractors suspected of committing criminal acts while handling detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, but only one has been prosecuted thus far, said Larry Cox, Amnesty's U.S. executive director.

"Amnesty International is not opposed to the use of private contractors," Cox said at a news conference to release the group's annual report on human rights. "But the reliance of the United States government on private military contractors has helped create virtually rule-free zones sanctioned with the American flag and firepower."

The human rights organization said its research also showed that at least 25 American companies appeared to have been hired by the U.S. government to transport suspected terrorists to countries known for human rights violations, a practice that might make them "complicit in the U.S. government's practice of outsourcing torture."
(snip/...)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-contractors24may24,1,6995503.story?coll=la-headlines-world

[saigon68]

1. This guy was beaten to death by a "PRIVATE" Thug and Criminal

Nothing was ever done to redress his Murder by the military in whose facility the CRIME WAS COMMITTED or anyone else.





When I posted this picture here couple of years ago, several posters opined that if he hadn't done something wrong, he wouldn't be dead.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Oh, God. I missed seeing that. Well, that's proof DU does get trolls.

Sensible people don't "think" like that.

It's sad to realize there are people with this view of life running around lose.

[saigon68]

20. They are running around all right

[mumon]

2. The correct word is "mercenaries."

Which is generally problematic in international treaties.

Other countries generally refer to mercenaries by the euphemism "terrorists."

Just so's ya know.

[Spazito]

7. Agree, mercenaries by any other name are still mercenaries n/t

[Judi Lynn]

10. Since the shoe fits, absolutely. Might as well be honest. n/t

[MADem]

18. But use of mercenaries, private contractors, and so forth does something

for the Monkey: it keeps the DEPLOYMENT NUMBERS low, and it keeps the DEAD/WOUNDED Servicemembers rolls lower than they would be. It's also cheaper over the long haul--no pensions, no disability retirements, none of that to worry about. Pay more up front, less down the road.

Think about it--in WW2, every wrench bender, convoy driver, skivvie stacker, cook and bottle washer wore a uniform. Now, a lot of them barely speak any English at all, because they're coming from foreign nations and getting paid in the dark. Indonesians, Koreans, Filipinos are busy washing dishes and doling out food, and people from the four corners of the globe are driving trucks hither and yon. And the profits go to Halliburton.

[Hestia]

21. Mercenaries were used in WWII

but not in a large extent. Just found out that The Flying Tigers were a Private Military Company too.
History Int'l Channel just aired a special about PMC this week (though the show was from 2004). Very interesting show and brought up some good questions about PMC. What's to stop corporations from starting a war with another corporation (I know, I know, Iraq is one)? There is absolutely no regulations regarding PMC. Everyone talks about Tora Bora & Bin Laden, it was PMC's that were in there. I think the show said there are 7 PMC's in Iraq with absolutely no direction or orders from anyone. Each PMC is there doing their own thing.

[MADem]

23. Flying Tigers were OSS, and later, CIA, like Air America

They weren't really mercenaries, they certainly were civilians, but they just didn't advertise who the boss was: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/oss/art09.htm

http://www.warbirdforum.com/clc2.htm
From the beginning, Chennault's airline had links to the Office of Strategic Services, the wartime agency that had conducted espionage and guerrilla operations for the United States. The connection was formalized in 1949. By then, the OSS had become the Central Intelligence Agency, and Mao Tse-tung had occupied most of China. Chennault's pilots -- many of them veterans of the AVG and the 14th Air Force -- moved Chiang's troops, supplies, and government assets from one imperiled city to another, and finally to a last fortress on the island of Taiwan. The CIA loaned money to keep the airline in business, and eventually it bought out Chennault's company.

[saigon68]

19. So MERCENARIES are now "Private Military Workers"

That sounds almost fuzzy pink like

Here's a few that "GOT THEIRS"

[leveymg]

3. Machiavelli on Mercenaries:

"The mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they are, you cannot trust them, because they always aspire to their own greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others contrary to your intentions; but if the captain is not skilful, you are ruined in the usual way."

Machiavelli sites many examples of mercenaries who have turned on their employers. All this began when the Holy Roman Empire lost power in Italy and the popes gained power. Citizens took up arms against the nobles, and the popes encouraged them. Because neither the citizens nor the popes knew how to fight, they hired mercenaries. Soon mercenaries commanded every army in Italy, and this caused the ruin and humiliation of Italy.

Rove is said to be a student of Machiavelli. You'd think he would know better than to encourage the privatiation of the U.S. military and, particularly, the intelligence services.

[annabanana]

4. Rove IS a mercenary...

And he wants his own army.

[shadowknows69]

5. Why can I envision

twisted "Apocolypse Now" shit going on with some of these mercs. What's to stop them from terrorizing the whole populace of these rule free zones.

[Hoping4Change]

8. An interesting sidenote is that the mercencary deaths don't get included

in the official death tolls.

[Blue_Tires]

9. we predicted this would happen years ago

this should surprise no one

[Heidi]

11. .

:kick:

[Barrett808]

12. Amnesty urges U.S. on Iraq contractors (mercs "accountable to no one")

Amnesty urges U.S. on Iraq contractors
By DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 23, 10:33 PM ET

LONDON - The United States is riding roughshod over human rights by outsourcing key anti-terror work in Iraq to private contractors, who operate beyond Iraqi law and outside the military chain of command, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

It called for tighter rules on the use of contractors in a statement released with its 2006 annual report detailing human rights violations in 150 countries around the world. The rights watchdog said contracting for military detention, security and intelligence operations had fueled violations.

"We're concerned about the use of private contractors in Iraq because it creates a legal black hole of responsibility and accountability," Amnesty's Secretary-General Irene Khan told AP Television News.

"These contractors are protected from being prosecuted under Iraqi law, but they're not part of the U.S. military command. So when they commit crimes, or when they abuse human rights, they're accountable to no one."

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060524/ap_on_re_eu/human_rights

[louis-t]

13. What A.I. forgets to mention is

they are not accountable under international law either. Chucklenuts saw to that.

[Supersedeas]

15. lawless multinational corporate vigilantes

[truthisfreedom]

14. does anyone remember when chimpie was asked about this during a q&a

session, and his answer was "i don't know, but i'm going to ask Rumsfeldt about that right away?"

he never addressed it again. Kerry should be all over this, or Edwards, or somebody.

[struggle4progress]

16. kick

:kick:

[IndianaGreen]

17. And when their bodies are found strung up from a bridge in Fallujah

why should we weep for them?

[DiscussTheTruth]

22. Can Americans bring criminal charges up against them?

The idea of attempting to live in Iraq while having private contractors with large guns running around from another country supposedly keeping the peace would give me chills. Who do these people report too and is there any civilian oversight? A corporation by all means has only one goal which is profit and will do whatever it takes to protect that interest. It probably also has the protection of the USA civil system behind it.

Well maybe we as citizens can find a way to use this against them. Does anyone have information on these specific companies? Maybe we can find a way to use the system against them since they are abusing the corporate identity. It seems by skirting the government checks and balances it would have a double edge that could be used against them.

The most obvious way I could think of using it would be having people on the ground in iraq and using testimony, pictures, and so on to hold them accountable in a court of law in the US. But whose court would they be held accountable in? Federal?

And I doubt these guys are citizens of Iraq so how can the Iraqis as a new democracy bring them up on charges? And even if they are brought up on criminal charges or even simple civil charges will the US intervene on their behalf and negate this new democracy's power to protect it's citizens from harm?

I really hate the fact the government supports abusing the corporate system. The next step would be to use the corporate identity to spy on Americans to get around the justice system and if they get caught they just chuck the corporation and start over somewhere else.