Many political commentators draw similarities between the Vietnam War and the current Iraq War. The Cold War ~ The War on Terror. The Soviet Union ~ al Qaeda. Ho Chi Minh ~ Saddam Hussein. These are specters that the government props up as legitimate reasons to pre-emptively invade another country. However, there is one big difference between the illegitimate war of this generation, and the former illegal war: THE DRAFT. How has the military avoided a draft? One way is by the privatization of the military. Companies like Blackwater are legalized paramilitary troops - killers for hire. And why join the army when you can make beaucoup bucks with private corporations - with more benefits and less oversight? Jeremy Scahill investigates these and other issues in his book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." The Dallas Peace Center is hosting a talk and booksigning with the author later this month.