Whose Guarding the Green Zone? Contractors defending the Military

This is a repost, but with the current fiasco going on in Iraq with Blackwater I thought it should be brought back up.

As the Bush Administration plays 4th Branch politics on television nightly, their true crimes against the American public are being committed out of the media spotlight. This Administration is quietly outsourcing U.S. military operations around the globe. When no bid contracts come to mind, one thinks Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel....yet, the contracts the media are not talking about is this Administration's hiring of private sub 'machine gun' contractors to do the tasks of the U.S. military. Blackwater USA, has a companion...Welcome Triple Canopy Inc., America's Green Zone Defenders.

With increasing concerns of the U.S. military being pushed to its limits, the Administration is finding other ways to continue the war effort. Since 2004, Triple Canopy Inc., have been performing security operations for many U.S. military enclaves peppered throughout Iraq. Triple Canopy Inc., founded in 2003 by former U.S. Delta force and Green Beret veterans, has been guarding the Green Zone since they were awarded the winning bid in 2005 over a British based security firm. These private armies pose a 'national security threat' to the United States itself.

"No open policy debate took place; no executive order was publicly issued, And who is in charge of overseeing these armed men? One thing is sure: they are crucial to the war effort.", stated Daniel Bergner of the NY Times.

We already have a military? Do we really need to use privately funded corporate armies, as well? Although Triple Canopy Inc.'s founders might be American, not all their employees hold the same credentials. The current expansion of sub 'machine gun' contractors in Iraq is depleting the ranks of America's special forces veterans. With companies such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp and Triple Canopy Inc., being awarded more and more contracts from the U.S. government the search for qualified 'security consultants' has gone global. Their ranks need to be filled. The search for a qualified pool of talent has taken Triple Canopy Inc. and others to Latin America raising concerns of compromising U.S. military and diplomatic security throughout Iraq.

"...ads seeking former members of the armed forces and police officers interested in working as a security personnel in exchange for "excellent wages" began to appear in newspapers in Lima... ...Hundreds of people applied" stated Angel Paez of IPS

"...about 200 of them American and almost all the rest from Chile and Fiji" wrote Bergner in 2005. "Another concern is that Triple Canopy employees have been recruited mainly in Latin America and speak little English...'A delay in communicating a problem because the guard cannot speak English down his walkie-talkie can have fatal consequences'"

Stop this nonsense. For every sub 'machine gun' contractor added to the ranks of these corporate private armies, another U.S. soldier is replaced by someone not accountable to military justice or the U.S. justice system. The world views these 'employees', not as independent contractors, but as the U.S. Military itself.

Iraq is consuming the U.S. military at an immeasurable rate, yet this Administration continues this so called 'surge' with private armies are not responsible or accountable to the American government. Triple Canopy Inc.'s contract reads,

"...the insurance policy covering the company's personnel will not provide coverage in case of an incident that occurs when employees are off-duty or outside their place of work. If employees are attacked by insurgents at home, for instance, they will receive no compensation..."

What happens when this war comes to a close? Does one think these companies will close up shop and shut their doors? Fighting the war and securing assets through the use of contracted sub 'machine gun' contractors is dangerous, irresponsible, and subversive. Triple Canopy Inc., Blackwater USA, DynCorp, and others are in the business to make money not guard against injustice. Capitalism has gone to far..stop the insanity. End this conflict now. This war should not be fought in terms of profit maximization. More than just Americans are losing their sons and daughters in this quest for oil.

Government contracts are the only way this Administration can continue to fight this war of terror. If the media were not so concerned with "Hollywood IT girls gone bad" perhaps the American public would recognize that their democrazy is being subverted directly under their noses. Save our country from 'W''s vision of our NeW hOmeland, Demand a return to our Nation and the rule of law. Americans should be defending Americans, not Latin Americas defending Americans. This is what occurs when a country insists on invading another without a global coalition. Instead, the coalition of the willing, wants to get PAID and be responsible to no one. Welcome to the Homeland.

Related article:
From Jungles to Deserts: Latin Americans in the War on Terror

Same Players. Different Scandal.