Virginian Pilot Cretins Strike Out Again

It doesn't take long to find errors of fact and distortions in The Virginian Pilot. Just read any of the "filler" between the ads that this bird cage liner calls "news stories."

For example, this front page story House vote would let U.S. prosecute security contractors runs over a picture of what appears to be some kind of an armed gang, shirts hanging out, sandals and sneakers on their feet, and an assortment of ancient weapons most of which appear to be of Soviet make.

This may be a picture of the armed gang guarding the NY Times building in Baghdad which has terrorized its neighbors. You would have to ask the French photo agency who supplied the picture exactly who these people are, but they are certainly not American military contractors. See for yourself


The "reporter" Bill Sizemore, tells us this whopper:

There are now more civilian contractors supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq than there are U.S. combat troops, but 4-1/2 years after the American invasion not one has been charged with a criminal offense against an Iraqi.

Remember, this is a story about so-call "security contractors." Even though he uses the phrase "civilian contractors supporting the U.S. war effort" Sizemore implies that there are more armed security contractors running around Iraq that there are combat troops. This is, of course, a complete lie, and I have to conclude that Sizemore is lying deliberately because anyone who knows this kind of statistic also knows that it's a lie.

There are more civilian contractors in Iraq that there are troops, but the vast majority are not armed men. They are cooks, drivers, stevedores, service technicians and a whole host of non-military personnel that the US Military is using because it downsized during the Bush 1 administration and then downsized even more drastically during the Clinton 1 administration. The use of civilian contractors by the military is part of the plan to feed and house the troops so the troops can perform the function most people associate with being in the Army: shooting the enemy.

I have other things to do, but I'll return to the job of pointing out the distortions and outright lies perpetrated by the morons who work for this disreputable rag when time permits.