Loading Predators?

Can anyone tell me exactly WHY it was that Blackwater - oh, excuse me, Xe - was loading missiles onto Predator drones over in Pakistan?? Because of a contract? Loading missiles onto planes? Isn't that a job the military itself used to do? Why are we paying CONTRACTORS to do jobs that the MILITARY ought to be doing? At TWICE THE MILITARY'S PAY?! Or MORE!

Do we not have enough military?

Is it because we need some other off-the-record force to conduct those somewhat shady, off-the-books operations that we don't want our regular military to be involved with? We did sign the Geneva Conventions, didn't we?!

Is our military stretched a bit too far all around the globe? Do we have too many foreign military bases? (Over 700 and counting.) Do we have too many bases holding too many soldiers spread across the planet and we don't have enough leftover to perform the functions that the military usually performs? Like feeding itself? Or driving a truck?

What exactly is Blackwater doing in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Tell me what all of these para-military organizations are doing over there with taxpayer money? Why can't our own military provide protection for our diplomats? Our military has GUNS!! Why do we need special little private armies in addition to our regular military? Is this how wars have always been fought? A regular military and then a gang of thugs to do the real dirty work?

(I had a fevered dream the other day where Blackwater turned on our own military and started attacking them - us. Perhaps we need an epic battle between our "legitimate" military and these shadow forces.)

For that matter, why do we have a global "intelligence" agency fighting alongside our military in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan? We have our military, the CIA (the Central Idiot Agency?) AND a veritable army of private contractors. NONE OF WHICH WE CAN EVEN AFFORD. It's all borrowed money. And, for some reason, people who work for Blackwater (Xe, whatever) make a whole lot more money than our regular military, FOR DOING THE SAME JOBS!

We don't have a big enough military, I guess. Shoot, I guess we have to feed the war machine even more. It's not growing FAST ENOUGH!! It must be FED!! I tellya, if we end up going into Yemen.....