tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37387500.post3012104322573417748..comments2023-10-31T10:06:53.344-05:00Comments on Blue man in a Red district: Who's fighting this war?Hal Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06436615739937572663noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37387500.post-82063567959311739422007-08-21T00:19:00.000-05:002007-08-21T00:19:00.000-05:00I thought I was fairly well informed about Iraq, b...I thought I was fairly well informed about Iraq, but I was completely shocked last week to learn that Workers' Comp had released the figure that 1,000 contractors had died in Iraq. This is in addition to the 3,700 plus troops I already knew about.<BR/><BR/>It is also tragic how the use of mercenaries has deepened the brutality of the war. I'm about halfway through an amazing book by Jeremy Scahill called "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.' The absolute lawlessness and arrogance of mercenaries like those from Blackwater have accelerated a very deep Iraqi resistance to the U.S. Not exactly the way to win hearts and minds (see the post "A soldiers perspective" below).Charley Underwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06838907527682374798noreply@blogger.com