General Discussion

timdog44

(1,388 posts)

19. Nail on the head.

Sun Jun 9, 2013, 08:35 PM

Jun 2013

And the private companies are owned by cronies of the people who wage the wars, or perform the security. All at a very inflated price. And the things these people do are outrageous. They have immunity from any crimes they commit. Ii remember a party over in Afghanistan where the mercenaries were giving themselves enemas with vodka and then another one would drink it when it was expelled. Now this is worth about what, $150,000 a year. All these mercenaries are, are former special forces guys who go back as "consultants".

Very much like the revolving door of government, lobbyist and corporations that benefit from the lobbyist who used to be a congressman who use to be a high ranking exec in a corporation who use to be - well you get the idea.

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I don't care whether you approve or disapprove of Edward Snowden's leaks. What REALLY outrages me [View all] scarletwoman Jun 2013 OP

Agreed! Vinnie From Indy Jun 2013 #1

No more fine with it than turning over much of our military to private mercenaries... hlthe2b Jun 2013 #2

Or turning over the manufacturing of defense weapons to our potential enemies. nm rhett o rick Jun 2013 #61

..or turning over the prisons and schools. Moostache Jun 2013 #68

In a Corporatist Republic, who else would corporations trust to spy on everyone? kenny blankenship Jun 2013 #3

+1, the Democracy you learned about in school is a myth harun Jun 2013 #93

It create plausible deniability for the government. boston bean Jun 2013 #4

No, it created adaptability jeff47 Jun 2013 #29

It's not just the government. Banks, for example, LOVE the idea of disposable workers arcane1 Jun 2013 #52

Throw-away technology requires throw-away people? JDPriestly Jun 2013 #60

No, more like technology moves faster than the employment regulations. (nt) jeff47 Jun 2013 #74

Employment, employees. JDPriestly Jun 2013 #75

some seem to have no problem with it G_j Jun 2013 #5

And then when it's determined it's not legal, here comes the immunity. boston bean Jun 2013 #8

Racket Texasgal Jun 2013 #22

"Some" have no problem with it because Obama told them what to think about it. morningfog Jun 2013 #21

It's all private. Security, Intel, War, hell, even the people who feed NightWatcher Jun 2013 #6

Nail on the head. timdog44 Jun 2013 #19

That is another excellent point. These massively wasteful, ineffective, unconstitutional policies usGovOwesUs3Trillion Jun 2013 #7

Remember, Obama is the president burnodo Jun 2013 #9

Everything it does is not solely attributable to him. treestar Jun 2013 #12

except for the good things burnodo Jun 2013 #33

You understand that part of the logic here is that privatization removes oversight: struggle4progress Jun 2013 #56

Did you just now find this out? How can that possibly be? George H. W. Bush DevonRex Jun 2013 #10

I actually do know all that history, I'm 63 years old, I lived through it. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #14

Ok. DevonRex Jun 2013 #51

I really appreciate hearing of your personal experience of this. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #53

Then there is also the situation that regardless of whether this PRISM is truedelphi Jun 2013 #137

The Constitution is only going to work if we INSIST on it. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #138

Yep...they just hired an actor to play the roll. zeemike Jun 2013 #20

^Post of the Day^ Major Hogwash Jun 2013 #36

Actually, every president since... awoke_in_2003 Jun 2013 #100

Can you imagine; greiner3 Jun 2013 #81

The Bush administration contracted all sorts of things out treestar Jun 2013 #11

You remember Christopher Boyce? roamer65 Jun 2013 #13

Yes, and McDonnell Douglas has done very well all these years. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #27

McDonnell Douglas? SCVDem Jun 2013 #35

Sorry, you're correct. However, they didn't exactly die, they merged with Boeing. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #42

Thx. I'll give it a read. roamer65 Jun 2013 #50

Considering that I "wronged" some RWers years ago and they decided to ruin my life . . . siligut Jun 2013 #15

What did you do? 7962 Jun 2013 #41

I worked for an HMO and to save money they were misdiagnosing heart attacks siligut Jun 2013 #44

Lets not forget the rastaone Jun 2013 #16

Perhaps without the private contractors SCVDem Jun 2013 #17

We might not even have this overbearing intrusion into our privacy. Kablooie Jun 2013 #28

Bingo! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #31

I approve of his leaks, as I approve of casting light onto wrongs anywhere. mbperrin Jun 2013 #18

Amen nradisic Jun 2013 #23

A subsidary of the Carlyle Group RainDog Jun 2013 #24

Good point Kablooie Jun 2013 #25

Constitutional Rights...For Sale! Discounts given for campaign contributions! Tierra_y_Libertad Jun 2013 #26

Monsanto Turns To Blackwater For Increased Security, Intelligence And �Infiltrate Activist Groups� G_j Jun 2013 #30

Totally agree WHEN CRABS ROAR Jun 2013 #32

+1,000 malaise Jun 2013 #34

Republicans like it that way. gulliver Jun 2013 #37

It is spelled nineteen50 Jun 2013 #38

And it's totally controlled by The Carlyle Group! Kablooie Jun 2013 #39

OMFG grasswire Jun 2013 #65

Poppy still gets intelligence briefings tblue Jun 2013 #91

Profits first! moondust Jun 2013 #40

Private eyes, they're watching you... Blue Owl Jun 2013 #43

Indefensible BrotherIvan Jun 2013 #45

Halliburton will be in there somewhere. Rosa Luxemburg Jun 2013 #46

Everything is for sale when Capitalism is the real God SHRED Jun 2013 #47

We are paying a corporation to spy on us SHRED Jun 2013 #48

Well said! Ain't capitalism great? scarletwoman Jun 2013 #55

And they no doubt sell our info for more profit marshall Jun 2013 #49

K&R suffragette Jun 2013 #54

K&R... midnight Jun 2013 #57

I suspected when this first broke that the "Private Contractors" were involved. KoKo Jun 2013 #58

Exactly! Well said! (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #59

Maybe we should just outsource our government to Halliburton. nm rhett o rick Jun 2013 #62

Exactly, civilians not even sworn government employees... Historic NY Jun 2013 #63

Loyalty to the Bottom Line, not to democracy. (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #64

It just keeps getting uglier Puzzledtraveller Jun 2013 #66

That bothers me as well davidpdx Jun 2013 #67

Seriously!!!@!!@!! ReRe Jun 2013 #69

HUGE K & R !!! WillyT Jun 2013 #70

Thanks! (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #71

Mining this data gives total control over heading off any problems glinda Jun 2013 #72

Keeping the War on Terror going most certainly serves their interests! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #73

It is even more than that. It is where you shop, what you buy, what you see.... glinda Jun 2013 #118

But then our govt is pretty much a private contractor at this point. cui bono Jun 2013 #76

I share your rage and I am furious that nit-pickers are still moaning about whether Swagman Jun 2013 #77

Classic misdirection - "Look over there!" scarletwoman Jun 2013 #109

In the end we are going to find out that is not and never was about terror, it is all about money. sabrina 1 Jun 2013 #78

It's not for OUR security, it's for control by the Overclass. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #110

Excellent point. Thanks. Zorra Jun 2013 #79

Thank you, back! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #111

K & R AzDar Jun 2013 #80

I see; greiner3 Jun 2013 #82

I would hazard a guess that I and those other OPs are on "ignore". scarletwoman Jun 2013 #83

K&R. myrna minx Jun 2013 #84

Thanks! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #85

It's good to see you, friend. myrna minx Jun 2013 #102

It always gladdens my heart to see you! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #107

It gladdens my heart to see you too! myrna minx Jun 2013 #143

"meeeeehhhh, you're PARANOID...." sibelian Jun 2013 #86

"Grotesque" is an excellent word for it! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #112

Most of those contractors... atreides1 Jun 2013 #87

Sure, nothing but a big fat contract. And a vested interested to continue to profit from scarletwoman Jun 2013 #113

Thanks for bringing this up DonCoquixote Jun 2013 #88

There's a great explanation of how this works, here: scarletwoman Jun 2013 #114

Excellent point! kentuck Jun 2013 #89

It's set up to fail US. It's set up to kill our democracy. (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #115

K&R Hell no I don't think its fine. Feel like all I ever talk about is how we are being sold out raouldukelives Jun 2013 #90

We HAVE to talk about how we're being sold out. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #116

Do you remember the devil Gun Lobby we have talked about so much of late........... wandy Jun 2013 #92

Well, since the people our elected officials actually represent are the Oligarchs, scarletwoman Jun 2013 #119

The problem identified. Here, and in many other places. wandy Jun 2013 #121

Thank you for putting the situation into words, scarletwoman. Octafish Jun 2013 #94

If there's any hope of saving democracy in this country, it will only happen when enough scarletwoman Jun 2013 #120

K & R SunSeeker Jun 2013 #95

And we are ctsnowman Jun 2013 #96

Wow! Great point! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #122

Now THIS is a good point N/T War Horse Jun 2013 #97

Thanks! (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #124

absolutely-- plus they are undoubtedly overcharging the govt and ripping us off NoMoreWarNow Jun 2013 #98

Oh, not to worry. The government has PLENTY of money to spend on the National Security State. scarletwoman Jun 2013 #125

sadly, that is so true NoMoreWarNow Jun 2013 #144

Hear Hear. That point is being lost. Back in the 70s my Dad was outraged how the snagglepuss Jun 2013 #99

"These private spying companies have a vested interest in manipulating perceptions so best serve scarletwoman Jun 2013 #126

NOW WE'RE TALKING! hedgehog Jun 2013 #101

Thank you! (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #127

You got a helluva a point scarletwoman. avaistheone1 Jun 2013 #103

Thanks for the feedback! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #129

Agree 100 percent on Private Contractors emulatorloo Jun 2013 #104

It's intolerable, imho. (nt) scarletwoman Jun 2013 #130

well said questionseverything Jun 2013 #105

Thank you so much for the links! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #131

Hey SW !!! - Did You Catch THIS: WillyT Jun 2013 #106

Wow! Thanks! Great piece! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #132

Very true Marrah_G Jun 2013 #108

WAY fucked up! scarletwoman Jun 2013 #133

This I agree is a problem. DCBob Jun 2013 #117

Are you so sure that contractors are "less expensive"? scarletwoman Jun 2013 #123

Generally speaking, they are... DCBob Jun 2013 #128

Sure, because a contractor making $1.3 billion in profits will just go quietly, scarletwoman Jun 2013 #136

some have a "stranglehold".. the vast majority do not. DCBob Jun 2013 #139

We're all Germans now. blkmusclmachine Jun 2013 #134

K&R forestpath Jun 2013 #135

In a word or perhaps two. timdog44 Jun 2013 #140

Equally troubling is the growing list of congress people who voted for it but claim to not know ecstatic Jun 2013 #141

Thank you, you speak for me. -nt- b.durruti Jun 2013 #142