U.S. mercenaries undercut morale

To the editor:

The American public has recently become aware of the apparently widespread use of so-called independent contractors in the Iraqi occupation. The televised images of the brutal murder and dismemberment of four of these highly paid soldiers of fortune in Fallujah has led directly to a bloody siege with high casualties of civilians, insurgents and our forces.

Now photos of torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners in a U.S.-run prison outside Baghdad are being directly connected to the untrained and unregulated actions of two U.S. contractors, CACI International Inc and Titan Corp.

The hiring and use of highly paid mercenaries in Iraq undercuts low-paid troop morale, incorporates an uncontrollable rogue element in an already unpredictable situation and unnecessarily increases the risks that our armed forces have to face.

Donald Rumsfeld has encouraged the use of private armies in Iraq in order to support his ideology of a "lighter, quicker, smaller army." The administration needs to, for once, admit that it has made a mistake so it can change this absurd policy that is directly endangering our troops.

PAUL ZMOLEK

Cape Girardeau