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Fraud, multiple murders, child prostitution, executive sex rings, steroids, "hate" kills, weapons smuggling, etc., — the accusations against Blackwater/Xe are stunning. Is Erik Prince’s alleged satanic-sounding Christian supremacist crusade in the Middle East, on the American taxpayers’ dime, committing war crimes and continuing to inspire enemies for the United States at an exponential rate? Blackwater/Xe has already collected mountainous U.S. government compensation and is still collecting enormous payments from the U.S., two years after reports of such scandals began.
A "MUST HEAR", Olbermann’s comments on Blackwater a/k/a Xe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PUJOCtgcaA
A "MUST READ", Jeremy Scahill’s account, US Still Paying Blackwater Millions, in The Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/scahill2
Just days before two former Blackwater employees alleged in sworn statements filed in federal court that the company’s owner, Erik Prince, "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," the Obama administration extended a contract with Blackwater for more than $20 million for "security services" in Iraq, according to federal contract data obtained by The Nation. The State Department contract is scheduled to run through September 3. In May, the State Department announced it was not renewing Blackwater’s Iraq contract, and the Iraqi government has refused to issue the company an operating license.
[snip]
Despite its scandal-plagued track record, Blackwater (which has rebranded itself as Xe) continues to have a presence in Iraq, trains Afghan forces on US contracts and provides government-funded training for military and law enforcement inside the United States. The company is also actively bidding on other government contracts, including in Afghanistan, where the number of private contractors is swelling. According to federal contracting records reviewed by The Nation, since President Barack Obama took office in January the State Department has contracted with Blackwater for more than $174 million in "security services" alone in Iraq and Afghanistan and tens of millions more in "aviation services." Much of this money stems from existing contracts from the Bush era that have been continued by the Obama administration. While Obama certainly inherited a mess when it came to Blackwater’s entrenchment in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has continued the widespread use of armed private contractors in both countries. Blackwater’s role may be slowly shrinking, but its work is continuing through companies such as DynCorp and Triple Canopy.
"These contracts with Blackwater need to stop," says Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat and a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. "There’s already enough evidence of gross misconduct and serious additional allegations against the company and its owner to negate any possibility that this company should have a presence in Iraq, Afghanistan or any conflict zone–or any contract with the US government."
[snip]
Blackwater says it will formally respond to the allegations against Prince and Blackwater in a legal motion on August 17 in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, where Prince and the company are being sued for war crimes and other alleged crimes by Susan Burke and the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Blackwater is a corporation. A corporation is a "legal person" and if these overwhelming charges are true, it very much proves the theory asserted in the Canadian documentary, The Corporation, that the "personality profile" of a corporation is akin to a pscyhopath’s, and in this alleged case, an intensely predatory and depraved one. And is this yet another chilling example that corporatists such as Prince have an iron-grip on the reins of America? Is the spirit of the law once again being dismantled by the moneyed, crony-, political-skewering of the letter of the law? Why is Prince and Blackwater/Xe still so empowered at this time? Even when it’s allegedly this colossally evil, is it regarded under the amoral and maddening parameters as being "too big to fail"? And was there that proverbial, Las Vegas-inspired naughty dastardly assumption that "what happens in Iraq/Afghanistan" stays in "Irag/Afghanistan" — no matter how satanic?
25 Comments
beyond belief.
not even credible as a shore novel
Go read Styve’s post. Either Schakowsky’s in a hell of a mess, or someone is really setting her up. Or both.
Either way, your point about corporations being ‘legal persons’ under the law resulting in pernicious outcomes is important. This is a classic example of the problem.
Thanks for the lead. Styve diary was stunning.
Recommended. Thank you, Libby.
Thoughts: If I hire someone to kill a person, I am just a guilty as the trigger puller. (morally and legally). So our nation hires murderers to rain death on masses of people. Can someone explain to me how these are not the same crime, the latter much worse?
The hired killers take no oath to the Constitution; their loyalty is to the corporation and the bottom line profit dollar. It is in their best interests to keep trouble brewing and maintain wars. The conduct described in your diary furthers their purpose.
I read a blurb a few days ago that 70% of the government intelligence community’s budget is paid out to contracting corporations. Now what kind of intelligence will they deliver that benefits their bottom line?
IMO, when JFK was assassinated the intelligence community, the military, the weapons manufacturers, and the banking institutions took over the rule of America. I think Obama has found that out (if he really ever meant all those promises he made to get elected).
I think America is in a far worse situation than it has ever been, including the Civil War.
my 2 cents.
Thumbs up. Thanks lots.
They sure did take over. The patsy that ‘allowed’ them to do it was standing in the doorway of the Book Depository after JFK was shot. At the time, everybody ran towards the grassy knoll because they knew where one, or some, of the shooters fired from. The third picture looks like a double exposure happened. It does show JFK when he was clutching his throat just before the shot that threw his head backward and the three ‘tramps’ are standing there. Somewhat amazing that the cuban exile group has pictures of all of the most important things. Such a coincidence and handy for blackmail. The FBI and others who are photographed knew the truth of how many shots and from what directions they came. Hope you like the pictures at the site. Many you likely haven’t seen before.
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http://cuban-exile.com/photo/j…..mndc01.jpg
http://cuban-exile.com/photo/j…..mndc01.jpg
http://cuban-exile.com/photo/j…..mndc08.jpg
Blue, the second set, top 1, that is pointing to one of places shots came from? The first one, that is Oswald in doorway a/k/a patsy. It surely looks like Oswald.
Blue, I had seen pic at your #1 link, but just now noticed something: The 2 women at extreme left and the 2 men in suits by the car are looking toward the Oswald person, not to the commotion caused by the shooting and running crowds. Don’t you find that odd? They seem to be looking right at the O person.
The #2 link I had not seen before. All those people including policemen sure aren’t focused on the TX Schoolbook Depository, are they?
acquarius, the above words chill. The military, the corporatists including cartel corporate class, the political class. Has the coup happened and we cling to denial like Linus with his blanket? Where is the rule of law? As the injustices confound the imagination, where is accountability?
And then I read this profound article my friend sent me by Chris Bowden in Mother Jones about an intrepid Mexican reporter trying to save his life by begging for asylum in the U.S. and what the military story truly is in Mexico as well as the nightmare to the courageous in the US particularly a Mexican who legally declares his right to immigrate. Apparently, illegal immigrants have more rights than ones declaring asylum. Open season on whistleblowers.
Corrupt army props up pathetic illusion that Mexican army is fighting the drug baddies, and strong arms the press into colluding, and strong arms the people into terror, — same shock and awe recipe — and we, the US, give $1.4 billion to enable the corruption. Propaganda declares all corruption on one side, as military slides into corruption.
We let corruption slide in Mexico, we let corruption slide with Blackwater in Iraq and Afghanistan, we let Israel slaughter civilians and bulldoze or rob homes and we defend them. We let a Honduran president be ousted because Chiquita and Dole corporations and puppets in Honduras for US military don;t want the lower classes to earn decent wages and how dare Honduras play crony with Chavez. Wow. Eyes wide shut in denial our leadership, or drinking a really industrial strength criminal kool aid? Money, cronyism, status quo morphing more and more into the unjustly grotesque?
Mexico’s north Chris Bowden the amazing writer of this article calls the killing fields. American tourists still flocking to Mexico for vacations, reasonably priced. Where is our corporate press on this? Oh yeah. Corporate, not public press. 6000 killings in 2008 in Mexico. Honest leaders and reporters disposed of. Kidnappings, torture, killings, drug cartel spreading to American cities. Where is our military and state department? And then there is US pop. buying Mexican drugs and US getting money back as the Mexican lawless buy guns. So, army was “less corrupt” than local police … so a less corrupt entity gets financially enabled and has power to perpetrate mayhem and then disguise it as coming from the drug cartels, which are responsible for some of the violence, granted. Like Blackwater accusees went on killing binges and just labelled victims terrorists. one excuse fits all.
But is the line disappearing between the psuedo law enforcers and the lawless in Mexico? What is the state of the line in the Mideast and all those bases we have established, in terms of immunity for lawlessness by the psuedo lawful? Where is the line in the U.S.? Greenwald sure sees the line. Obama and friends and Dems, not so much. While so many are shocked at the wingnuts on the right, what the heck is going on with the amoral and/or unconscious psuedo progressives?
http://www.motherjones.com/pol…..bring-fear
“We Bring Fear”
By Charles Bowden | Wed July 8, 2009.
Didn’t corporations that helped the Nazi’s get sued for using slave labor? Prince’s corporations are private I think that means no stock is traded publicly meaning he is the real Decider not share holders, board of Directors or even the CEO if its not Prince.
I think Prince is personally liable.
What happens that day do we learn the charges see some evidence? Anyone else did this they would be in jail right now No Bond!
TCU, with so many stunning charges hitting the fan, I hope corporate media doesn’t bury it. And again, why are they still operating and raking in money? A transition period Scahill was told, necessary to keep using them for now. Do accused criminals get to keep operating IRL during a “transition”? Ooo boy! And that whole let us change our name for PR purposes, but continue our standard operating procedures. The audacity.
There are other Mercs we could buy we don’t need Blackwater.
I hope KO stays on this story EVERY DAY until Black Water loses its contracts. No firm owned by Prince should get any Government Contracts!
This story is the nadir of (and the epitome of) all that was wrong with the W. administration. Corruption, greed, flaunting of the rule of law, moral zealotry and certainty, rampant arrogance, etc. I am not shocked by the daily reports on BLACKWATER (they will never be XE to me), but I am getting angrier by the day.
People are disrupting town hall meetings because of mythical fears of the great, socialist Obamacare reform and death to the seniors when all this vile, despicable information about Blackwater (and the W. admin) is being revealed. I truly wonder about us (the American people) sometimes.
… as Rachel Maddow says, “this ethical freakshow of a universe” …
Imagined scenario the day after President Obama took office:
First meeting of the Official Suits convene to discuss the future of American and how to change over government and implement President Obama’s take on the Nation and what to do. All departments are included with the Bu$h heads there, since it is before they will transition out of office to be replaced with Obama’s appointees. Many if not most there are Daddy and President Reagan’s henchmen who also worked for Bu$h II. The ones respopnsible for millions of innocents killed in South America, proxy wars in Afganistan, and the fomenting of war in Africa so they could create shock and awe and all would profit.
The room darkens and a film begins to play of President Kennedy being shot in Texas. No other comments. Curtain comes up, lights go on. Obama people sit in stunned silence. end of story …
Cat in Seattle
Cat in Seattle, I think that was the message, whatever the medium.
Cat … chilling … oh so chilling … cinematic scenario!
I think of Zelaya on the airport tarmac in Costa Rica dumped there in his pjs. He presumed that he had legitimate power as president and the “dark powers” interfered.
Remember in the movie Network when Howard Beale gets told about the small group of oliogarchs really running the world!
(it also made me think back on the personal sphere re Kennedy and Jackie, to hearing a story of when Jackie after her wedding day was told by a cluster of Kennedy women that ALL the Kennedy men had women on the side and to get used to it, and they said she walked around for a while stunned like she had just been in a car accident.)
Libby, here’s a link to one of JFK’s women that was new to me until lately. It’s a long story but full of info on a wide ranging group all involved in the assassination and cover-up. Her name was Mary (Pinchot) Meyer, first wife of Cord Meyer, big dog in CIA. E. Howard Hunt’s last days confession of his part in the murder laid out the chart of responsibility headed by LBJ, then Cord Meyer said to be the creative genius of many of the black ops plans including the assassination, then the jackals who did the deed..and the patsy, and on and on.
Yup, Mary (Pinchot) Meyer was murdered within 6 months of JFK’s death. Case never solved… huh.
acquarius … what dark depths … thanks for the link. lib
The War on Drugs … the Trojan Horse that let military and Calederon turn Mexico into a police (narco) state, enabled by US. The Trojan Horse used by the U.S. to invade other countries (more honorable than blatant exploitation of natural resources, etc.) and in this country, to hand over control to military and unbalance the three branches of government in this country, happening more and more. US military with right to arrest and shoot to kill.
U.S. may now have to prostitute itself to other countries because of our economics (this from John Stockwell, former CIA), using our collateral asset the military strength adm. addictively won’t touch despite citizenry desperation for domestic help. Yup,sacrifice the vast welfare of its people to keep a crony relationship with other big not very democratic powers with the U.S. The multi-national oligarchy will use our black departments (as we have borrowed their dark methods) to protect them and exploit the non-elite classes globally forever in serfdom.
Note to aquarius: saw John Stockwell, former CIA, on tv interview today. WOW. He gives over the real skinny on US corruption and dark-hearted oliogarchical and military strategies.
Bluebutterfly and Libby, I took a sabbatical from the net yesterday and today to maintain some semblance of balance.
I’ve been studying some very good books on JFK and understand a lot of things that were previously totally unknown to me; still learning so may not keep up here for a while.
Blue, have you ever heard of “the 16 wise men” who made LBJ understand that he was pres in name only; that they were in control ?
Good idea, acquarius. But ain’t it amazing what fresh hells pop up with just a one day away? It can be dizzying and require even further balancing. :)