Military Contractors

Since Donald Rumsfeld's speech to congress on September 10, 2001 which emphasized further privatization of the US military, military contracting firms have been on the rise. Mostly, if not completely, military contractors or private military firms (PMFs) are fueled by capital and profit; like all private industry, this is the end goal. With this in mind you might wonder: what about the United States military? the real military?

We know that war is never humane. The late Kurt Vonnegut called it "The Children s Crusade." The difference is, in the 21st century, that these crusaders get a sweet paycheck and so do the CEOs of companies such as Blackwater , Halliburton, and KBR.

More particularly, Blackwater's contracts expired back in the month of May and still the Associated Press reported a month later that Blackwater was still present in Iraq. Undoubtedly, they are still there now. Those contracts that expired were for providing security to U.S. diplomats. While "security" is a main pillar of Blackwater, other PMFs still provide infrastructure, logistics, and supplies.

Secondly, the problem is that with the new installment of private military, constitutive laws on these companies and the individuals working for these companies in combat, have not been legislated. So what does that give you? Lawless, private mercenaries, with the goal of making money rather than "completing the mission" or humane regard for civilians.

There have been numerous accounts of civilian causalities in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and certainly not all caused by private contractors. The difference is, there are not even apt laws to hold these contractors accountable. Though there are certainly debates about justice and the law itself, the legislation of these laws are the starting point for sustaining human life and providing consequences for those who unjustly take it.

Below is a link to send an email or letter to your state representative. They do, in fact, respond to emails and letters alike. Its gotta start somewhere!

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