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Some good points, but... (0.00 / 0)

..in you first point, you should cite the number of casualties by , say, tenthousand combatants. A ten to one ratio would be ok IF there the mercs number only one tenth of the US troopers. Afaik, it's more close to being equal, so your argument is valid. You should just take more care about the details.

Then, at the second point, it would be more informative to state that the torture "interviews" were conducted by contractors of the FBI. Speaking of "mercenaries" makes it sound as if the usual suspects, Blackwater et al, were involved. This is misleading.

Imho, the third argument isn't totally convincing. Even though you rightly say, Mercs first loyalty is towards the money, you also seem to believe that US mercenaries are still more reliable than foreign ones. Sry, but this sounds a bit xenophobic to me. And you even bolster that view in point four, when you talk about foreign mercenaries being a "recipe for disaster". As I see it, the loyalty of mercenaries is alwaysquestionable, no matter where they come from!

All in all, good, and important points. Just pay a bit more attention to the details, pls! It's easy to become misunderstood by presenting the facts in a misleading way.

Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter

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by: Gray @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 04:39:18 AM CDT

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Oops, correction! (0.00 / 0)

Uh, instead of "contractors of the FBI", pls read "contractors of the CIA", of course!
Sry.

Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter

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by: Gray @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 04:40:38 AM CDT

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Ratio (4.00 / 2)

I have never been able to see a definite number for the number of mercenaries in Iraq.  The usual estimate is 100,000.  That means nercenaries are now about even in number to troops but at the height, the troops outnumbered the mercs about 3-2.  A 10-1 casualty ratio says that the mercs (who may cost up to $100 K and more per person vs. $40 K for soldiers) are taking the safer roles.  

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by: David Kowalski @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 12:37:49 PM CDT

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