Nine Americans were killed in Iraq today.
Mar. 31st, 2004 08:33 pmFive of them were soldiers, killed in a roadside bombing. Four were "civilian contractors". And they were killed, and their bodies were mutilated by a mob.
These contractors worked for Blackwater Security Consulting, out of North Carolina. They are, vaguely, a mercenary outfit, who focus mainly on training security forces. They've got courses available to the general public, too -- their pistol course looks good. . .
My point is that it's no less horrifying for police officers or security guards to be brutally killed than it is for anyone else. But it seems like people are trying to obscure the fact that they ARE security forces. I'm not sure exactly why they're doing this, but it seems like they're trying to imply that the folks killed were, I don't know, businessmen or something, rather than security guards, or mercenaries, or whatever.
I guess, when I hear "contractor", I think "construction," "information technology", and so forth -- not "security." And I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure if this is a deliberate attempt to obscure the picture, or if it's just my own brain confusing me.
These contractors worked for Blackwater Security Consulting, out of North Carolina. They are, vaguely, a mercenary outfit, who focus mainly on training security forces. They've got courses available to the general public, too -- their pistol course looks good. . .
My point is that it's no less horrifying for police officers or security guards to be brutally killed than it is for anyone else. But it seems like people are trying to obscure the fact that they ARE security forces. I'm not sure exactly why they're doing this, but it seems like they're trying to imply that the folks killed were, I don't know, businessmen or something, rather than security guards, or mercenaries, or whatever.
I guess, when I hear "contractor", I think "construction," "information technology", and so forth -- not "security." And I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure if this is a deliberate attempt to obscure the picture, or if it's just my own brain confusing me.