2 responses for this post

1. GeekBoy on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 10:02 am

   This is an issue I wouldn’t mind see Obama tackle on the stump one of these days. Not necessarily the cell phone thing in particular, but some kind of policy statement about “Independent Contractors” in these war zones — which would include the thug mercenaries (read:armies) these companies hire to protect their interests. Because besides the danger to U.S. citizens working for these outfits, the actions of firms like KBR do as much, if not more, damage to our credibility and our image overseas as the presence of soldiers does.

   We all know that Bush/Cheney don’t have a problem with this, and were therefore never going to bother to police these companies. But I’d like to know that the next person in the White House will. Because the globalization of labor and the privatization of war are both facts of life now — and if we don’t start getting on top of the problem now, it will definitely get on top of us. We need to hold these guys to standards, and if they don’t abide, then they can’t participate in the game. Otherwise, we may be living in a RoboCop-like society before long, where corporations literally rule the world.

2. Chips O'Toole on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 10:16 am

   they don’t already?

   see: telecom immunity, exxon profits, pharmaceutical corporations, “independent contractors”, to say nothing of voting machines that are easily rigged.

   I agree with you, I’m just so discouraged. but I can’t vote anyway, so…

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