Thursday, October 23, 2008

Democracy Means Chinese AK-47 for Private Militias


Chinese manufacturers make more deadly products than infant milk formula. The Pakistani government purchased AK-47 assault rifles from the Communist economic giant.

The buy is instructive. Democracy means having your own AK-47. Now I know why Homeland Security Secretary did nothing over Jewish paramilitary groups training in the Catskill Mountains!

Pakistan plans to give tens of thousands of life ending, assault rifles to people in the tribal areas of that unstable country. The U.S. secretly armed Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan as freedom fighters fought Russian military might. What role did our $10 billion in annual military support to Pakistan play in this decision?

American soldiers are conducting "train the trainer" sessions, according to the Washington Post:


Last week, after months of Pakistani delays, about 30 U.S. military trainers were permitted to set up operations north of the region, a U.S. official said. The trainers will provide counterinsurgency instruction to Pakistani army soldiers, who in turn will train members of the Frontier Corps, the government's paramilitary force in the FATA.

Paramilitaries, from corporate giants to rag tag local groups, have become a widespread phenomena. Osama bin Laden showed the difficulty of controlling armed insurgents, once they're launched. How will current decisions come back to haunt us?