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Labour’s Ginny Andersen claims Police Minister was ‘paid to kill people’ while working in private security overseas (www.rnz.co.nz)

submitted 9 months ago by Ilovethebomb to c/politics

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We deserve a better standard of political discourse in this country, in my view. It sounds like Mark Mitchell has done some pretty impressive things in his career, including taking on gangs and uncovering war crimes.

Meanwhile, so many people on the left think Saddam should have been left alone, conveniently ignoring the horrible crimes he inflicted on the Iraqi people.

It's also worth noting that a security contractor is a very different role to a mercenary, and by the nature of his work, it sounds like he was very much the former.

We need better opposition in this country.

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[–] Xcf456 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Isn't security contractor just management speak for mercenary? A mercenary is someone who fights in an armed conflict for money and isn't connected to an army. Idk that sounds like what he did from what he's said about it.

[–] Ilovethebomb 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It can be a euphemism for mercenary work, but a mercenary in the true sense is a paid soldier who fights for a country they otherwise have no connection to, like what is happening in Ukraine.

If he's being honest about what he did, and we have no reason to believe he isn't, what he did is much more like a security guard or law enforcement, protecting convoys etc, where your role may include killing someone, but it's not the end goal.

[–] BalpeenHammer 2 points 9 months ago

It can be a euphemism for mercenary work, but a mercenary in the true sense is a paid soldier who fights for a country they otherwise have no connection to, like what is happening in Ukraine.

What do you mean "true sense". That's not the definition of Mercenary at all. A mercenary is a person who doesn't belong to a military but fights alongside one for money. Many mercenararies are citizens of the country they fight for.

If he’s being honest about what he did, and we have no reason to believe he isn’t, what he did is much more like a security guard or law enforcement, protecting convoys etc, where your role may include killing someone, but it’s not the end goal.

Why is the willingness to kill people and the killing of people moral, just, and laudable just because you say it wasn't the end goal? If a person takes a job and he knows he might have to kill people in order to perform that job then he is ready, willing and able to kill people for money. If the job is just trying to increase profits for a multi national then that person is a vile piece of shit.