Today I began reading an old issue of Geez magazine when I came across an article on Blackwater, a private mercenary army. Learning about Blackwater's existence didn't really surprise me; when it comes to the military and war issues in America the ruthlessness of the Bush government seemed to have become the norm. What did surprise me was that Blackwater contractors are immune to court martials, war crimes charges and human rights violations.
Blackwater was secretly funded by the US government. Jan Schakowsky, a memeber of the House of Intelligence Committee in the US, said that, "We think that 40 cents of every dollar goes to private military contractors. We think that about 800 of them have been killed in Iraq, but we don't know that. They're not even counted. And we think there's about 25, 000 to maybe 40, 000 engaged in military activities and combat related activities. But we don't know and we can't find out." The deaths of these mercenary fighters were not included when mortality and injury stats were calcuated for the Iraq war. This means that we were not getting accurate information on the effects of that war. If the death tolls were higher, would less people have supported it?
Though the conflict in Iraq is now diminishing the role of national governments is not. Everyday governments make decisions of which the general public is largely unaware. In the case of Blackwater, even members of Congress could not access any information regarding their association with the United States.
Today, in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan national government is commiting something of a genocide. Local Tamils are being killed and many others are being displaced from their homes. Human rights abuses are rampant in Sri Lanka, though I should also note that it is not only the government that is committing acts of violence.
Regardless, governments are put in place to govern and lead the people. In North America we live in countries that value individual freedom and democracy. Because of this we are able to influence the decisions that our governments make and the action they take.
Hold your government accountable. Learn about what they are doing. What are they using your tax dollars for? What far-reaching effects do their decisions have? If all they are telling you seems like a bundle of jolliness, what aren't they telling you?
Sometimes, as in the case of Blackwater, we can't access the information we need. But investigative journalists write articles, countries write reports, and the internet has many reliable news sources through which you can recieve information. If you hear about something that is unsettling, do something about it. Write your government, or the government involved, a letter. You don't have to be a huge activist to exercise your right to freedom of speech.
Amnesty International is a valuable reseource for learning how to write an effective letter. The Amnesty webiste will also provide you with issues on which you may want to write to your government about. Letter writing tips can be found at: http://www.amnesty.ca/youth/youth_action_toolkit/guide_to_letter_writing.php
Other great links include...
Reliable News Source: www.democracynow.org
Blackwater info: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6849
Sri Lanka Info: http://www.freeourpress.org/
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