corporate warfare and bowie knives

Another day of Baghdad boredom, which is not a bad thing. I’ve been reading the June Harpers Review which a friend sent me. There is a piece in it about America’s new corporate military. I wouldn’t have found it terribly interesting had I not seen it up close and personal over here. The guys who wrote the piece know what they’re talking about but I don’t even know if they understand how far the corporate war machine goes.
Most of the guards around the green zone are Gurkhas from Nepal who are contracted thru Global Security. Of course mundane functions such as messing and berthing and property accountability are handled by contractors as well…Kellog Brown and Root.
Most of the VIP’s are protected by PSD members who are mostly former Spec Ops personnel. VIP’s are not only Ambassadors and directors of various ministires…top ranking military personnel are protected by these civilian PSD’s as well. I imagined they would be protected by the Marines.
I don’t know how cost effective this outsourcing of war-fighting is. I’ve talked with 19-year-old KBR personnel who sort mail. After taxes they clear about $80K per year.
Whats most disturbing about all the outsourcing isn’t the fact that so many no-military people are doing jobs in a combat zone. I don’t doubt their dedication to America. What I find suspect is that most are from Texas and work for a subsidiary of Halliburton. The connections aren’t difficult to make. A large part of being a leader isn’t merely not doing wrong…it is not giving the perception. But that’s politics for another day…

XXX

I walked down to the Haji Flea Market today looking for a new knife to carry. I feel like I ned some kind of weapon here but carrying around a pistol riding down my hip all day gets old. I've been carrying a hunting knife but there was no shank guard so I figure if I ever used it my hand would slip and I'd be hurt as bad as my attacker. Today I found a Buck md 119 hunting knife...good feel...well balanced. Ised to carry the same kind when I played war as a youth. I bought this one today for $25...cheaper than I could have got it at Wal-Mart but still, maybe I paid too much.