Get Yer War On!

[caraig]

So I was having a gander at the satirical Get Your War On and following a few of the links around. In the course of it I found AlertNet which is a really interesting source of news about some places in this world that are seriously messed up. If you are squeamish about how seriously messed up man can be to fellow man, and have a delicate faith in the inherent goodness of humanity, don't go to that site.

Anyway, I spotted one article there that made me pause and I head it through. Okay, can someone a bit more in the know tell me WTF is THIS all about? I mean... mercenaries? 'Cause that's what they are. That dude in the picture is a 'bodyguard' but he's carrying a frickin' automatic rifle if not a machine gun. Okay, long tradition of mercenaries, if not necessarily good tradition. Even so, it's kind of weird to see.

Then something else leaped out at me: one of the companies that's providing this is Dyncorp. Dyncorp! I almost went to work for them when I got out of college! I thought they were a company providing crews to oil spill respose vessels, and now I find out they're mercenaries?!

Let's make it odder. To quote from the article:

“It is also worrying that some companies are calling for immunity (from prosecution) in Iraq. We don’t want immunity and we don’t need it. We always go about our business within the laws of the countries where we work.

Uh... no fekking kidding!

Have a look at AlertNet.org, and take a look at some of the things going on. It's really damn sobering and this is NOT your typical extreme-left-wing loonie ranting. This is Reuters. Though at this late hour it's making me despair, and wonder how I could be so foolish as to have faith in the human race.

Comments

Re: Promote Western Civilization! Go forth and plunder!

[ruggels.livejournal.com]

Bob!!!! You got a Livejournal? Long time no see!!!

Western Civ. generally those cultures currently derived from the the European age of enlightenment, excepting totalitarians. Generally tollerant. usually based on recognition of law and property, somewhat respectful of human rights. Loose definition.

What do you mean by "positive members" in this context? Your phrase "equally indoctrinated parents" seems to imply the production of "positive members" would be the ideological equivalent of cloning; each generation having an uncorrupted copy of the (presumably "correct") ideology of the prior generation. Is this how you see the transmission of Western Civilization occurring?

That's a rather literal view, but "Indoctrinated" may be a bit strong, but acculturated, into the shared values of the culture. But with each generation knowledge and experience is added to it. It's not unchanging, but "positive" means beneficial to the culture in the main. However Bob, you and i do have differentviews on the amounts of conformity (to put it mildly) :-)

don't have a lot of patience for "Arcadian nostalgia" (utopian garden paradise where serene pastoral folk drink, dance and lounge around in an endless summer, i.e. the past is always perfect) but the students of history, sociology, anthropology, etc. I've had occasion to palaver with have commented on the general perception in their fields that many of the cultures encountered by the representatives of Western Civilization were reported to be (in general) much happier before their cultures were destroyed by Western Civilization.

Probably true.

Given that, I'd have to say your perception that tribalism is somehow a "fall" from some higher state or associated with "gangs" is more indicative of the tribal roots of Western Civilization, and is not representative of human tribes in general. Do you think there is there something about the roots of Western Civilization that makes it susceptible to the degeneration and violence you describe?

Well, yes, in that there is a rather heavy educational investment in it, what with it's complexities.

Scott