From: Alan Cairns 

"Mercenary: one that serves merely for wages" (Merriam Webster)

Especially, but not exclusively, one who serves a foreign power for wages.

Alan


On 5/10/04 1:45 PM, in article dfqv909vs45jdbg6d5e8iehl84668srd3d{at}4ax.com,
"Gene McAloon"  wrote:

> On Sun, 09 May 2004 23:49:34 -0700, Alan Cairns 
wrote:
>
>> On 5/9/04 8:43 PM, in article 409ef969{at}w3.nls.net, "Mark"
>>  wrote:
>>
>>> There's no doubt that those that take the jobs offered at
highly inflated
>>> rates of compensation are mercenary in nature - this is bad?
>>
>>
>> No. They may take the jobs. But they may expect to be called
"mercenaries"
>> rather than "private contractors". I don't like the
abuse of the language
>> involved in the euphemism.
>>
>> Alan
>
> They are not mercenaries and those who call them that are abusing the
> language.
> In this context the definition of a mercenary is a soldier who hires himself
> out
> to a foreign power. You can't have mercenaries who are your own fellow
> citizens.
> Let's not confuse privatization of some military functions with the hiring of
> mercenaries.
>
> The only mercenaries I am aware of in Iraq are armed Iraqis working for the
> US.
>
>
>

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5