Riverside, Calif.

There is a myth out there, that Business can do things cheaper than government. The Bush Administration has blown that concept out the water with its use of private contractors. The "industrial" side of the military/industrial complex is running the show and turning the Iraq war into corporate welfare. This means that costs of an operation have more importance than the lives of the people that are doing the job. For example, not sending enough people to protect a convoy or not providing force protection for their "private Army." While individual members of Blackwater may have military skills, they are useless without the infrastructure of an Army to guide, support and supply them.

Blackwater has been bragging recently that they have put together a brigade-size force. How many brigades does the Army and Marines have in Iraq? How many brigades do the contractors have there? Who guides, supports or supplies them? How much do their "brigades" cost as opposed to the army's brigades?

What we see here is the failure of the voluntary army. To fight sustained conflicts, we need the draft and a very large army to spread the risk around, and provide a proper rotation cycle that gives the troops some rest. It will be cheaper than Blackwater or any private contractor of any purpose!

Pervis J. Casey
09/19/2007 @ 1:47pm