Re:Paramilitary police: Cops or soldiers?
by bostik on Sunday March 23, 2014 @12:01PM
(#7453775)
I had to look the term up. I'm not convinced it's the right one, as the etymology (according to wikipedia [1]) comes from military personnel acting without consent on foreign soil. What I understood was more like jingoism in action.
On the other hand, if we use the second paragraph's description: "... are irregular soldiers who act without authority from their own government, and are generally motivated by financial gain, political ideology, or the thrill of adventure." -- We get something that has only partial overlap with mercenaries or privateers. I still don't see how the term applies in this case. "Without authority" is a pretty steep accusation.
On the other hand, if we use the second paragraph's description: "... are irregular soldiers who act without authority from their own government, and are generally motivated by financial gain, political ideology, or the thrill of adventure." -- We get something that has only partial overlap with mercenaries or privateers. I still don't see how the term applies in this case. "Without authority" is a pretty steep accusation.
Maybe I'm missing some cultural context.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_%28military%29