Proving their manhood by denying their humanity
Janessa Gans, a visiting political science professor at Principia College who served as a US official in Iraq from 2003 to 2005, opened fire on the private security contractor Blackwater in Saturday's edition of the Los Angeles Times."When the Iraqi government last month demanded the expulsion of Blackwater USA, the private security firm, I had one reaction: It's about time," she begins in an editorial.
Gans says she witnessed firsthand "over-the-top zeal" of the behemoth US mercenary force.
"We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned," she writes. "I began to wonder whether my meetings, intended to further U.S. policy goals and improve the lives of Iraqis, were doing more harm than good. With our drivers honking at, cutting off, pelting with water bottles (a favorite tactic) and menacing with weapons anyone in their way, how many enemies were we creating?"
Gans describes a particularly "infuriating" incident where the lead Chevy Suburban in her convoy allegedly crashed into a sedan ferrying and older man, a young woman and three children.
"As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over," she pens. "The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt."
posted by walldon | 3:22 PM
2 Comments:
And yet still we expect the Iraqis to embrace us as liberators after all we've done to them?
It's sad and pathetic. Having these blackwater thugs running around Iraq acting like common criminals is setting us back.
No wonder it's been 4 1/2 years and we're still no closer to leaving Iraq.
The title expresses well what is driving American foreign and domestic policies in a catastrophic direction. The problem of insecure men obsessed with their manliness is not limited to Blackwater employees. It goes all the way up to President Bush. Unfortunately, their sense of what it means to be a man is based on stereotypes that should have been discarded decades ago.
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