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LOL!
I think it’s actually because of the manner in which Blackwater screws up the US military’s operations.
I’m just “shooting from the hip”.
I honestly don’t understand it. I would probably fall into the category of “threepers” but I’m actually a fan of Blackwater. They have made some terrible decisions, but the concept, that of privatized military, is very good.
Just a guess: I think a lot of self-described Threepers are military men who define themselves in part by that role, and many others admire the military a great deal, and they had hopes that the military would either revolt or at least fracture if ordered to crack down on American civilians. It’s my impression–and I may be wrong–that most people who would label themselves as Threepers expect those orders to be given in the near future.
I don’t know that Matthew Bracken would call himself a Threeper, but in reading his Enemies trilogy, I was struck by the way the U.S. military turns out to be the savior of the Constitution even after the nation balkanizes and fragments into pieces under varying states of anarchy and tyranny.
I’m not sure what your point is, Caleb, but the answer to your riddle is very simple:
Mercenaries owe no oath.
It’s a small thing, perhaps, but a significant distinction for those of us who do.
See, that’s just bullshit. Blackwater recruits primarily ex-mil, and yet I’m supposed to believe that they’re not loyal Americans because they decided to take jobs doing what they’re good at? That’s plain old idiotic.
Cussing in public is not polite behavior. Grow up.
Oh please, if you can’t handle a little grown up language, you’re clearly at the wrong website. Besides, you’re also not addressing the key point, which is that one of the job requirements for being a Blackwater contractor is that you’re ex-military or ex-LE.
Now, I know that threepers are hard for the military, which is cool because I’m ex-mil. But to say that certain ex-military guys would violate their oaths because they took a better paying job is pretty dumb. It’s like saying that because I took a job in finance, that I’d support an Obama bailout in spite of my beliefs.
They believe that the oaths sworn by the ex-mil folks are no longer binding since they’re, you know, ex? I dunno.
For that matter – why do the threepers think the US.mil will stand idly by while people get rounded up and put in the camps? (ISTR something about “all enemies, foriegn and DOMESTIC” in the oath…)
My stance more or less tracks with Tam’s, incidentally. THEY won’t round anyone up and put them in the camps. We (the voters) will allow them to slowly strangle freedom. That having been said, I don’t know if I would exactly say we’re not free now; or that we are on an inexorable downwards slope. Even 10 years ago, who would have predicated that a bill would be introduced to FORCE public housing that takes federal funds to allow residents to keep arms? (Much less nationwide reciprocity, MUCH LESS carry in parks).
Eternal Vigilance needs to be balanced against the chance of paranoia, no?
I have heard that Blackwater was used during the Katrina aftermath, rounding up civilians and confiscating guns. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I googled and saw the light. I am all behind the military, having served myself, and we were given training to quell riots and subdue a portion of the civilians in this country. Many times the military has been used against civilians in this country and I have never heard of an instance where they mutined and refused their orders. Have you?
One quibble.
“Mercenaries” serve whomever cuts the paycheck. The folks working for Blackwater/Xe wouldn’t work for the other side for any amount of money. I personally know two honest to god trigger pullers who worked for Blackwater and to call them “mercenaries” is a slur upon them and their service.
Yeah, the assumption that Blackwater guys aren’t patriots is well, silly.
And honestly, why bother hiring out? Compared to the number of federal LEOs between FBI, DEA, and BATFE (not to mention the National Guard units), how much more personnel does Blackwater have? How well-trained are they for riot-control etc? I had been under the impression they were mostly trained for site and convoy security.
The left’s belief in BW/Xe being used to round up enemies of the state is barely plausible – they see Blackwater as a civilian extension of the Military/Industrial complex (which in some certain senses they are). Perhaps they’re comparing BW/Xe to the Pinkerton’s of the strikebusting era. In fact, all of the instances I can think of where the military wa sused to supress internal strife, the targets were on the left-hand-side of the political spectrum. And the last itme that I can think of that qualifies was Kent State…
The “civilian” police organizations of the fed.gov have plenty of potential jackboots; they don’t need to hire out more from what the leftists would consider a very politically suspect organization.
Not that I’m suggesting that anywhere close to the majority of federal law enforcement agents would be willing to round up enemies of the state, actually. I thought “A State of Disobedience” was way over the top, myself. http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200312/0743471709.htm?blurb should get you enough of the background in that book to understand what I’m getting at (and why I’m a little nervous about the relentless investigation of the political enemies of the current powers that be for “crimes” committed when the now-enemies were themselves the PTB).
Not entirely on topic, but I found a frickin’ AWESOME website Dig this sample quote:
oh my god. That’s awesome and terrifying all at the same time. WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?
Because if you don’t stand up to the Blackwater/Xe man, the next thing you know, they will come and take our paintball rights. And what better way to scare away the blackwater mercs than the shocker.
It amazes me that anyone takes this middle school aged nonsense seriously. And yet these occupants of the “cool table” get to prance around telling everyone they are the real defenders of the Second Amendment. Give me a break.
Mercenaries are mercenaries. And for every gun for hire who might, just might, remember his oath and quit instead of follow illegal orders, there are two or three foreign employees of Xe who don’t give a shit, never took an oath and just want a paycheck. Mercenaries have historically been used by governments to carry out missions they couldn’t get their own troops to do. Mercs will always follow the money. Period. History demonstrates nothing else, with few exceptions. Why don’t you just channel a Founder, and ask him what he thinks of mercs? Only you’ll have to use the term Hessians. sheesh, what a bunch of historical amnesiacs. A guess its easy to be bought with a little free range time. What whores.
Riddle me this: why is Xe carrying out domestic surveillance right now? Who do you think they’re selling that to? Get a clue.
“Riddle me this: why is Xe carrying out domestic surveillance right now?” Any possible chance of a cite for this? Maybe even one that isn’t from Infowars or WND?
“Foreign employees”. Mike, you’re aware that the one of the the requirements to be a Xe contractor is to be ex US mil or ex US law enforcement, right?
Also don’t you have something better to do than humiliate yourself on my blog on Labor Day?
Which, admittedly, doesn’t prevent them from being foreigners. Nor, in the case of LEO, *require* them to have sworn an oath to defend the constitution. However, it does make a “corporate culture” that is unlikely to prize bullying of US citizens…
Maybe I remember the weeks following August 29, 2005 differently than others do, but the good old National Guard was in New Orleans, and they sure didn’t do anything to stop the rounding up of privately owned firearms. Neither did any of the visiting Law Enforcement Officers. Neither did the threepers to be fair.
But the all the standing around while the local cops disarmed people sort of takes the wind out of the sails of the argument that the US military or Law Enforcement as a whole wouldn’t just stand by and watch illegal orders be carried out.
Lots of people are very anti-threeper. Be is those afraid of the public image problem or just those that think it’s all hot air and blustering.
But what exactly do you expect to take place the next time disarmament is ordered?
If the mythical good guys just sit back and watch, what exactly will they have accomplished?
Not following orders doesn’t do much at all. They might get shit canned for not following what at least some folks feel are legal, rational orders.
Where would that leave us?
And any reference to any oath is a joke. Our congress critters take a very similar oath. It’s so effective we have the patriot act, free speech zones, warrentless searches/surveillance, nationalized companies, gun control, and an unknowable number of laws set to destroy anyone who annoys the wrong government employee.
I don’t claim affiliation, though I understand where they are coming from much more than I do the folks who whine about them.
Uh, visiting here for the first time. Don’t click the link “sample quote”, it’s infected. That was enough for me, I’m gone.
I guess by Vanderboners estimate bank security guards are mercenaries. Why think about it, they’re paid to shoot people who break the law. Ipso facto mimio magico, suddenly Fascist Halliburton is paying them to shoot Threepers.
Just FYI……Blackwater Contractors sign an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.
III’s are douchebags. Any person who honestly thinks the endgame will be played out as an actual shooting war is a goddamn moron.
The opposition won’t have to go door to door to collect guns. They’ll just enact ever tightening regulations, make more and more land unavailable to shooters, and wait us out. And all this will happen because 3’s are too pure (or lazy, same thing) to get involved in the political process.
Hey idiots, instead of beating off to Red Dawn for the 34th time, how about doing something useful for a change?
“And any reference to any oath is a joke. ”
That says more about you than it does about anyone current-serving who’s taken the Oath. You ARE saying that we can’t count on the fidelity and morality of any man or woman in the service? You are, right? Yet supposedly we can count on mercenaries?
Mercenaries work for who? They get paid by who? By an administration with taxpayer dollars. Have you noticed who runs that administration these days? You think that inj the end they won’t work for those policy goals they’re paid to work for? And they DO hire foreigners who have not been in the US military. I also notice that nobody has touched the domestic spying issue. Is that off the talking points page you’ve been issued?
This is still about kissasses wanting range time and boys who want access to their toys without risk.
We’ve drawn our line. When are you weenies going to draw one for yourselves? Never, right? when I’m dead and buried you’ll still be making excuses for inaction.
And by the way, I’ll be in DC thus weekend, helping to wave that Oath in the tyrant’s face. Where will you weenies be? On a Xe range, right? Big bad prags. Risking nothing, doing nothing, being, in the end, nothing.
Umm, does all this mean you can’t be armed and vigilant AND vote and be otherwise politically engaged?
I live in tornado country, so it’s not a totally hypothetical question.
And by the way, I’ll be in DC thus weekend, helping to wave that Oath in the tyrant’s face.
This is the first I’ve heard about this protest. You guys could take a lesson from the NRA in communication and promotion. It might work out better if there were more people there than a few kooks.
Tomcat, that’s actually the point – it’s a Pillar of Threeperism that the military would mutiny en mass were a confiscation order given, when in fact you’ve presented evidence that they’d do no such thing. Mike and company have been asked to provide facts, evidence, and proof of their allegations, and have come up short on evidence and long on rhetoric.
Mike, I did mean to ask you a question about that Oathkeeper’s rally on the 12th. I’ll be in Tennessee doing some shooting that weekend, but I’ve been meaning to ask you, whose oath exactly are you going to be waving in the tyrant’s face?
I mean, it’s not your oath, because you’ve never served. So really, you’re just waving the oaths, courage, and honor of other men in the tyrant’s face, and counting on those better men to stand in the gap for you.