Omama! wha'ed you do to Obama

427 S/O · #1 (**permalink**) 10-07-2007, 10:52 AM

Someone explain this..

AIKEN, S.C. — White House hopeful Barack Obama on Saturday said private security contractors in Iraq are raising the risk for U.S. troops because Iraqis don't distinguish between the forces.

....How does he that??

He also criticized the pay disparity between soldiers and private contractors, saying the contractors get paid nine times as much as those in uniform.

So?..how do you compare the two?, is this sorta like apples and oranges?

427 S/O · #2 (**permalink**) 10-07-2007, 10:55 AM

Insert....know......

fsstnotch · #3 (**permalink**) 10-07-2007, 11:46 AM

Plain and simple.... you have 2 options...

A. STOP DOWNSIZING THE MILITARY!!!! Which in turn would keep you from having to hire me!

B. Stop paying us so much... and in turn you will not fill the contracts unless you have inexperienced people whom you will have to train!

Here's my take... I was in the USAF. My job, TCF Technician, is basically being eliminated. My options at the end of my 6 year enlistment were to crosstrain into something less desireable like.. security forces, in which I would be here anyways. I could have taken a contracting job in the states, working for the military as a contracted TCF technician. or I could come here for a year as a contractor and make... wait for it... about 4x what I was making in the military, guess what my job title is? You guessed it, TCF technician! I almost turned down this job because it wasn't enough to risk my life! But, it's a great start to my new life as a civilian. I think the options are pretty easy to choose from! The military has gone to this, "we'll contract out the Communications and SAVE money because we won't have to pay to train them." You know, at most bases in the states now, they have contracted gate guards. Why? Because, "It's cheaper." the Air force was cutting troops like you wouldn't belive as "A way to pay for the war!" So I was told at every commanders call! lol

fsstnotch · #4 (**permalink**) 10-07-2007, 12:16 PM

Another thing.. there are other contractors that fight other than blackwater. Their death rate is like 37%!!!! You would have to pay me more than they make now to do that as a civilian!!!

427 S/O · #5 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 02:57 AM

Fsstnotch, I have no trouble with either one, they pay and I would expect a huge salary as a civilian working in Iraq, I was referring to obama's comments about things he knows absolutely nothing........

You take care and get home safe.....

fsstnotch · #6 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:33 AM

Ya, it's crazy how little he shows he knows about the situation!

Ron61 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 04:42 AM

Maybe you should invite him and some of the other morons in Washington to come over there and spend a week so they could actually say they had been in a country where there was a war. From the remarks of many of them, I think their war experience came from John Wayne movies and museums.

Ron

fsstnotch · #8 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007, 07:18 AM

And lets not forget... the NUMBERS!!!

As of Feb 2007 there were roughly 126,000 AMERICAN contractors in Iraq and 135,000 US troops. Almost half the people over here fighing are contractors! The US has moved to a COMBAT military. Most of those less combat positions in the military have been phased out and contracted. And that is not just here in Iraq, that is country wide. So in most cases, the only way they would be able to make up that 126,000 (I'd bet 75-90% of which are prior service) is to reactivate those military positions and stop FORCING people into less desireable positions. If I wanted to be a cop, I would have signed up to be a cop! If you sense some bitterness... it is because I WANTED to stay in the Air Force. But I didn't want to stay if it meant I had to change careers. I spent 6 years learning the communications field, why would you throw that experience away to take a job that has less future like... loading bombs? Last I checked, there isn't much future in the civilian world for that.

At some point every military man/woman will have to hang up the uniform that last time. I would like to have the ability to be able to provide a nice life for my family when that happens. So, my choice was to hang it up early and jump into the contractor world while it's hot.

Wanna know the real funny thing... guess who would be protecting his A$$ if he did come for a visit? Blackwater!!! guess who is providing security for those FBI officials investigating Blackwater's "crimes"... ya, BLACKWATER!!! Obama makes it sound like the contractors get treated so much better! Maybe they get paid better. Maybe the real problem is that the military doesn't get paid enough?!

427 S/O · #9 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007, 03:03 AM

I've said many times, teachers and cops are underpaid. I'll add military to that list.

fsstnotch · #10 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 427 S/O

I've said many times, teachers and cops are underpaid. I'll add military to that list.

I agree 100%! I always wanted to be an elementary level math teacher... but unless my wife also had a decent job, we couldn't live like we do now.

bomelia · #11 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 11:58 AM

Hey Notch! Great job and be safe.

What is your take on the Blackwater "scandal"? There was another story yesterday about a private security firm shooting up a car with two women in it (would not stop approaching despite repeated warnings).

Mike

J. T. Toad · #12 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 03:19 PM

don't hate me, but I might disagree on the cops pay, but that may just be a California thing.

fsstnotch · #13 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomelia

Hey Notch! Great job and be safe.

What is your take on the Blackwater "scandal"? There was another story yesterday about a private security firm shooting up a car with two women in it (would not stop approaching despite repeated warnings).

Mike

See, alot of people don't understand what their job is and how hard it is. Granted, many of these private security agencies over here are have some people who aren't all there if you know what I mean. I mean, think about it, they're coming over here "to serve and protect," and their death rate is 37%!!

Now, knowing that their are suicide bombers, car bombs, and IED's, what would you do in thier situation? You have a convoy which you are dutied to protect. A car is approaching your convoy, which has signs all over it clearly stating to "STAY BACK OR DEADLY FORCE WILL BE USED!!!" So you fire a couple warning shots and some flares to warn this car that you WILL shoot them. yet they just keep coming. You only have a few moments to react to such acts before you are endangering the entire convoy. At that point you ahve to make a judgement call, "is this car loaded with explosives? Are these people trying to distract you so that you don't see the guy standing ahead with a rocket waiting to attack the convoy? Maybe they're trying to push you to go faster into a trap? or maybe they're just too damn stupid to head the warnings and signs?" Now all these thoughts rush through your head faster than you can read what I wrote. You have seconds to react. I have been trained, to fire when you feel you are in danger or threatened (that was military training). these guys have been trained the same except they have to keep the danger away from the entire convoy. MANY of these people who work for these contracted security agencies are prior military. te same people who were here just a year ago as a soldier and now they come back out as civilians to try to jump ahead in life after the military. Many of them have been in the military so long, they don't know anything else. I like the headlines today "SIX FIGURE BONUSES RETAIN COMMANDOS"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/...lLmSxadD.s0NUE

IMHO, if the Iraqi government wants to continue it's push to eliminate these security firms... we might as well pack up and go home. Every one of those Iraqi government officials will be dead within a week and this country will be controlled by whoever Iran wants it to be controlled by! There will be MASS murder (as if there isn't already) and the Shiite's will rain over the Sunni's since the Shiite's have all the backing from Iran.

I WILL say that sometimes the defensive is taken too far and people are killed that don't have to be. Kind of like dropping an attomic bomb... errr.. oh ya, we did that! Doubt there was any "collateral damage" in that incident.....

God help us if a Democrat is elected!

sideoiler10 · #14 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 06:58 AM

Hey man! Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your Air Force service. We civilians owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of our service men and women around the world. As for the pay issue, I agree that the military isn't paid nearly enough, especially when they are deployed into action.

It makes me sick to hear all the DEMS keep carping on pulling out of Iraq without so much as a thought about what would happen after we leave. They don'e seem to give a "hoot- in-hell" about the damage that would result to us and to our image around the world. Just like Vietnam...Deja vu all over again. Not to mention the slaughter that would occur.

Appreciate your comments! Good luck and God Bless, Bob

Sharroll Celby · #15 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 05:33 PM

Wasnt Iran on our side when the Shah was in power? Then the Ayatollah takes over and, 20 years later, Iran is on the "Axis of Evil"!

Fred Douglass · #16 (**permalink**) 10-13-2007, 08:10 PM

Guess who helped depose the Shah? Hint #1: he also precipitated a sh*t-storm in Nicaragua----giving us the Brothers Ortega....Hint #2 "Git yer peanuts here---peanuts here!"

427SO fer president!