ProJo letter of the week

Caleb R. Woodhouse was on the money yesterday in nothing that there is no disloyality in criticizing the mercernary army of Blackwater USA:

The Oct. 14 letter “Attacking the troops and contractors,” which criticizes some objectors to the Blackwater contractors, calls for a three-part response.

While Blackwater may perform its jobs of protecting things and people very effectively, it seems to be responsible or accountable to no one: not to the courts in Iraq, not to the U.S. military, not to U.S. civilian courts. Who hired these people? Who is paying them? Who gives the orders? Not knowing ought to give every citizen the creeps.

In the second place, partially to agree with the pro-Blackwater letter, it is pointless to vilify rank-and-file contractors generally, as it was despicable to insult veterans just for serving in Vietnam. Protesters against their government superiors who issued their orders, however, do not deserve this writer’s sneer of “bleeding hearts.”

Thirdly, it is a false association by the writer to compare Blackwater’s operatives to our regular and reserve troops, who are in Iraq under government orders and at great sacrifice, both personal and financial; contractors, in contrast, come to Iraq voluntarily and, from whatever other motives, for very high pay. In sum, it is every good American’s right to support our troops and responsible contractors, by learning just what has been going on, without being accused of disloyalty.

CALEB R. WOODHOUSE

Little Compton