They are the unappreciated patriots

They are the unappreciated patriots

www.latimes.com

In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has depended on contract workers more than in any previous conflict -- to cook meals for troops, wash laundry, deliver supplies and protect diplomats, among other tasks. Tens of thousands of civilians have worked in the two battle zones, often facing the same dangers as U.S. troops and suffering the same kinds of injuries.

Contract workers from the U.S. have been mostly men, primarily middle-aged, many of them military veterans drawn by money, patriotism or both, according to interviews and public records. They are police officers, truck drivers,

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is a theme that is very personal for me long before these two conflicts.

I still have mixed feelings about the roles that contractors fill and have personally witnessed the scorn that sometimes is directed to veterans that choose to further serve in a private capacity.

A civilian corpse dead 3 days smells just as bad as a military one.

www.latimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 10/6/2009 by kerontehe]

Don't call someone a patriot because they assist in a violent act of aggression against another country.

Patriots stay home and defend their country - they are informed, intelligent and don't work for special interests - but rather in defense of the people of their home country.

Those poor fools sent to kill and die in foreign lands deserve better - they have been robbed of their honor by trickery and lies - and they should demand to return to their homes so they can defend them against the tyrants who have so shamefully used them.

reply to post by Amagnon
Opinions vary. One persons patriot is another persons freedom fighter is another persons terrorist.

I will define these words as I please thank you.

A very small percentage of professional contractors are engaged in in breaking things and hurting people [ about the same as traditional military].

Patriotism is for me as personal as my religion and my family.

IMHO, even myopic pacifist isolationists can be patriots also.

Originally posted by kerontehe
reply to post by Amagnon

 

Opinions vary. One persons patriot is another persons freedom fighter is another persons terrorist.

I will define these words as I please thank you.

A very small percentage of professional contractors are engaged in in breaking things and hurting people [ about the same as traditional military].

Patriotism is for me as personal as my religion and my family.

IMHO, even myopic pacifist isolationists can be patriots also.

so dying for a worthless cause is patriotic? you're right opinions do vary.

i fail to see how the private contracters are patriots, maybe there intentions are patriotic but there actions (no fault of there own, although when good men do nothing?) are more questionable.

I am not suprised this article didn't mentioned how much money these contractors are making.

Patriots


$45 for a 6-pack of coke
worse than prison

These are opportunists that are endangering the lives of everyone and are over-paid.

This article is completely backwards and it's disgusting.

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Beat me to it.

iraqforsale.org...

These people are leeches, nothing more.

Patriots?

For the kind of money being thrown around I don't think patriotism comes into it, except loyalty to the dollar and individual bank accounts.

The good old myth that cost plus contracting is somehow cheaper than in house contracting.

So here we have a contractor, who hires on to do a job.

He adds up his costs plus added, then sub contracts this to someone else, who does the same.

This is particularly effective for construction projects.

here's how it works:
P = (AVC + FC%) * (1 + MK%)

where:
P = price
AVC = average variable cost
FC% = percentage apportionment of fixed costs
MK% = percentage markup

The really meaty parts for contractors are not as some may assume, the percentage markup, but the AVC AFTER the average variable cost has been through the hands of several contractors, thereby driving up the avc and providing ample opportunity to overcharge by the simple expedient of burying prices in paperwork, not to mention that when a product or service goes through the hands of several contractors, then in many instances they are owned either directly or indirectly by the same company.

This directly affects the percentage markup as well, because this is the markup after other costs have been applied.

No wonder the military budget is so high - most of it is going into the pockets of contractors.

And that's before we even start on the scam that is procurements.

Doesn't unfettered capitalism just warm your heart.

There are several personal advantages to choosing being an independent contractor instead of extending your military service.

Yes, the pay can be better. You are also able to choose what you are willing to do and how you are willing to do it. You may also choose where and with whom you will work. It is the same as self employment.

Not all contract work requires that you labor for a government. Even though free enterprise seems to be on life support, it is not dead.

Though I currently physically incapacitated from doing much of what I did for @ 14 years, I would be glad to do what I could of it as an unpaid volunteer the same as I do for my church, my library, my local chamber of commerce, and the high schools FCA. That is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I do not have to agree with their theology to support that part of their efforts I agree with.

Much as many of the scribe efforts in this thread.

Having the liberty to freely express your convictions through action along with verbiage is a vital part my personal patriotism.

I honestly do not think that if you consider yourself a rational moderately well adjusted adult you could do less and define yourself as a contributing element of our world matrix.

As an afterthought, I also define most attorneys, physicians, politicians, accountants, hookers, and drug dealers as independent contractors.

Let us not forget also your realtor, stockbroker, and small business owner; you know the economic back of most non-socialistic economies.

We can apply the same fiscal logic to the worth we receive from their professional work.

Which of these classifications do you feel gives you the best bang for your buck?

[edit on 10/6/2009 by kerontehe]

[edit on 10/6/2009 by kerontehe]

reply to post by kerontehe


I understand what you are saying, but you don't represent the contractors in Iraq.

If you look at the examples of contractors overseas there's just nothing positive about it. Perhaps the fault lies not in the practice of mercenarism but rather the U.S. Govt's recruiting process.

Also yes, as you said there are many contractors like chartered accountants and such, but the article states that these overpaid mercenaries are patriots. Hell anyone would be a patriot for that kind of money, but then it's no longer patriotism is it?

reply to post by ModernAcademia
Many contractors I know that do work in the middle east feel that I do represent them; I'm just a little older and did most of my work in North and South America, Caribbean, and Africa.

I agree, there is a huge difference between a patriot and a mercenary, but that the two terms are not mutually exclusionary. It is possible to be both. Making money is not inherently sinful, but that is probably the way to place your bets. Not making money doing what you are passionate about is also not sinful. IMHO

Money is however truthful; if someone speaks to you about the validity of their honor, make them pay cash.



[edit on 10/6/2009 by kerontehe]

[edit on 10/6/2009 by kerontehe]