Merceanry Troops (and game design)

[nadinbrzezinski]

as many of you know I am a game developer, paper and pencil. So here I am havng this extremely long discusion with some BattleTech players about Blackwell et al who are scum, pure scum... so here it is what I posted today about Mercs and why they mostly do not exist (yet, they will for other reasons, mostly a smaller faction, human faction, based in many ways on the Platonic Ideal with strong elements of the Renassaince, so Condotierri make sense)

http://deistgames.com/Developers.htm

Oh and you will like the last paragraph, even if you do not go visit... though it is a good critique on the Mercenary business anyway

************

Now a comment on modern Mercs, an this is food for thought for most Americans. When was the last time we had Mercs patrolling our streets? If you answered when we were having that small family dispute with the British Empire called the American Revolution, give yourself a pat on the back. They were Hessian troops that the Empire brought to fight us Colonials. So think of the implications as Black Water International patrols New Orleans, supposedly protecting the assets of the energy industry, instead of.. using police or National Guard Troops, and how far are we moving towards using Merc Troops on American soil in case of civil disobedience. Remember they ar not loyal to country, but to who signs their next pay check.

[bluedawg12]

1. Using Merc's as "private security" by-passes messy Constitutional issues

about the use of Federal and guard troops.

But, in terms of training and fire power- merc's are militia.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. No they are not militia

they don't answer to a civilian government, they answer to whoever pays their paycheck... you will make a mistake, a huge mistake, to confuse them with a militia... legally militia are covered under Geneva, Mercs are not.

Insofar as training, you are aware that Blackwell openly recruits among Green Beret and SEAL veterans, don't you? And I do not mean retired, I mean active duty.

[bluedawg12]

9. Thanks for the correction- this is eye opening

stuff.

My point still stands merc's are a way to circumvent constitutional issues about the legitimate use of a nations military.

Paramilitary who are paraconstitutional.

I did not realize that AD military could hire out??? really?

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. They put their papers as soon as their term is coming

to an end, and once their terminal leave is over, walla you are now a "private contractor."

And quite frankly I cannot blame them... lemme see make 30K a year, or 30K every three months, doing essentially the same thing.

But yes they are going after AD troops HARD, and telling them this... one reason there is no love lost

As to the unconstitutional kind of sort off... they are private, nowhere in the Constitution does it say that you are forbidden from hiring private security, which is the way they justify it... in some ways they are just private security like the Pinkerton's who ran many investigations against labor at the height of that battle... they were armed too.

Heck you go to any job fair for retired personnel and at least the big three have tables offering five times as much to recently retired people as what they were making in the service, and hells bells they still have their Clearances, saving those idiots thousands of dollars to boot.

On edit, let me add a recent tale

Young kid, he is 17... last year he was going to join the army and become a green beret for mom, apple pie and the American way... this year he wants to join do ONE tour, and then join Tian or Blackwell becuase there is where the real bucks are... need I need mention that one tour will not pay for the training you and I just spend in making that Green Beret? On the plus side, I don't think he has what he needs to even make it through training.

But that is the thought processs among many young troops... do one tour and then go make the real money..

[sam sarrha]

4. they OUT GUN any of our troops.. these guys are CIA/Corporate thugs

with the BEST Weapons.. getting paid with TAX DOLLARS..

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Correction they are not CIA

they are Corporate Thugs... they answer to nobody... not even the CIA

[sam sarrha]

11. BlackWater ... the Black part is MR Black of the CIA

i believe it is Cofer Black.. not too sure of the first name. he testified in the 911 comission

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. They are independent from the CIA

nad they have been in operation since the early 1990s, though they may be as independent from the CIA as Air America (no, not the radio station for the real new hands) was from the CIA.

I suspect though that at this stage, with all that has gone on, they are truly independent and will go rogue if the contracts are not sweet enough... Mercenary Commanders are after personal power and enrichment, not the state, let me paraphrase Machiavelli on this

Mercs are unreliable

Bad or incompetent Mercs will ruin the state and work against the Prince that hires them

Mercs go after money, and are loyal to no flag

Mercs are after personal power

Only Republics that field their own armies can succeed in the end and will remain free.

[sam sarrha]

26. they are raping small achildren in front of their parents in Iraq to get

information out of them

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. that is Caqui, and Titan,

not Blackwater... get your goons right, and those two are far smaller, and far more ahem, diverse than Blackwater... (as in some of their personnel comes from South Africa, Pakistan and Israel, as well as the US... they are also the ones running the ahem, translataion services wiht interrogators who were translators last week), As I said it is important to get your goon squads not mixed.

Oh Blackwater they are doing other things to provoque actions and really getting out of hand... while in the field... and those were the guys recently ahem detained by some really POed US Marines while i theater and treated like ahem Terrarist, which quite frankly they are.

[Robertwf]

13. Vigilantes in Black Costumes

The mercenaries are an instant solution for both the military-govt. constellation and private business interests. The government can blame the mercenaries if things go bad in the field. Private interests can make sure they get their job done without having to worry about how they stack up in a priority list.
Definitely turns "policing" into even more of a we-they dichotomy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. yep that is one reason

by the way welcome to DU

[Robertwf]

17. Black H20

Anybody know of a reason why they are paid to protect the houses(mansions) of people who live in areas that were not flooded?

[sam sarrha]

2. they are there to intimidate the blacks away, and replace with Mexicans

the Money brokers in NOLA said they would bring in "Southern Workers" for the clean up and construction of the new Casino City and them for regular workers..

a 72 year old woman was arrested for looting when stopped and searched and found a salami in her purse.. and put in jail leaving her elderly husband alone with out care.. when the shit hit the fan they let her go.. they said she would do 10 years in jail..

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I know exactly what they are there for

the point stands, the last time we had Mercs, it was the Hessian troops... time for people to wake up. The NG may not shoot at us, in spite of kent, Blackwell Mercenary Troops will not think about it, they get a weapons free command, so be it.

[Ouabache]

7. Don't forget the 31,000 estimated foreign enlistees in US forces from

Central America and the Phillipines, mainly. Enlisted in US armed forces, and promised citizenship for them and their families when the enlistment is up. Think any of them will end up working for Blackwater in THIS country, once they are citizens. I betcha' they do !

When Iraq started the best estimate of these types I could glean from the web was 37,000. Within the last two weeks I have seen the number 31,000 in IRAQ/AFGHAN theater. More media attention needs to be focused on this. Is the US Army being used for training of future Blackwater forces within this country?

It just seems so wrong, and headed down a path that will be hard to go back.

It seems to me that we (congress?) ought to establish a tracking of these people who gain their citizenship in this manner. What occupations do they pursue here once they are citizens. here? Is there a danger they end up becoming private or corporate armies within this country, trained originally at OUR expense? I am worried they will. Or some of them will.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Some of them will.. but so are our Spec Ops troops

remember, most of those people have green cards and came to the country legally... in fact you need to have a green card to enlist, unless they changed that requirement too.

And yes, that is a worry that I have... this industry has not grown to this level since the 14th century... but hey people defend this practice.. what do you want Mobil to do? rely on the Guard or the local cops... not Mercenary goons

By the way I suspect they know that if they try to establish martial law the military will overall not obey a direct order... they hate Bush, they truly do.

[pushycat]

25. If this is really true maybe there is hope this evil will cease

someday. When Tommy Franks mentions martial law for us all come the next incident of national significance one wonders if it might be possible.

[Blue_Tires]

15. lol...i'm just waiting for the day some foreign power hires them to invade

nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Offer them enough money and you will see it

that is the nature of the Mercenary troop, loyal to money, not flag... and why they are despised for the scum they are...

[bemildred]

18. So where do you fit Pinkerton's in?

Just asking, Pinkerton's have been around for some time.
How do you distinguish private cops from private soldiers?
There is a spectrum that runs from rent-a-cops at the mall
to the guys running around in Iraq.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Ye there is

Though Pinkerton played the same role that I supect Blackwater will play in the 19th century.

Blackwater is also far better trained, equiped, suported and paid... while rent a cops get just above minimum. (at least the rank and file)

[bemildred]

20. Think about the clowns that tried to take over Equatorial Guinea too.

The only thing different is the scale of the operation,
and in a way it's a sign of the fact that the US government
cannot get it's own citizens to fight its wars for it
anymore, a crisis of legitimacy if I ever saw one.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Yes it is a crisis of legitimacy

the Guardian noted how atomized we have become... they noted what many of us have noticed, we are no longer a country... or if we are, weaiting for that magical leader to emerge to lead the revolution and Blackwell will be used to supress the revolution

[bluedawg12]

21. They have been using merc's in Iraq

this covers up our deficiencies with not having enough AD troops.

A private army, not allied with any government, motivated by a paycheck and not nationalism.

Any one see a problem with this on American soil?

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. yes, but some people defend them,

and are even cute, they are private contractors... no they are mercs and they are scum

[Robertwf]

24. Watch for Bilgewater Thugs in DC

People who are going to the 9-24 event should keep an eye out for BilgeH2O thugs there, as well as in NO. Perhaps bringing these carrion feeders into NOLA so quickly was a practice session. I'm sure they are running different scenarios such as Blackwater at WTO meetings, etc. Someone needs to introduce some limiting legislation.