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Living in what billboards proudly declare to be "The Nation’s Most Military-Friendly State," I’m always interested in news involving the high priest of personal opportunism, graft and mercenary enablement, Erik Prince. (Aside to North Carolina’s Democratic Governor, Beverly Purdue: You’ve been in office almost two years. Why have these eyesores not yet been ceremonially burned???)
A former Navy Seal, Prince founded the now infamous Blackwater in 1997. Despite his resignation as the company’s CEO and attempts to whitewash the awful reputation it earned on his watch (Blackwater was renamed "Xe Services" in early 2009), five of Prince’s closest colleagues have already been indicted on federal weapons charges, including conspiracy and obstruction, for their roles in attempting to cover up the company’s gift of 22 weapons to King Abdulla II of Jordan.
Prince does face a civil lawsuit accusing him of defrauding the federal government, but is not presently under criminal indictment. That could change if the native of Holland, Michigan is fingered in continuing investigations of the company’s actions. In other words, Prince has faced the looming possibility of indictment and jail time. Until now.
Four days ago Prince fled – regardless of how he prefers to characterize it – to the United Arab Emirates, with which the U.S. has no extradition treaty.
The civil suit also factored in his decision to run; Prince reportedly became an ex-pat of the country he supposedly loves so dearly in order to avoid being deposed in the civil action. Fortunately, it looks like that didn’t work.
Even from his new home, however, I’m confident Patriot Prince will remind us that we’ve got nothing to fear from the "Great Recession." After all, for those who really want to work, Xe Services is hiring.
Cross-posted at The Malcontent.
12 Comments
Gotta admit that Prince’s flight from ‘justice’ is one of my favorites recent stories.
I’m also awaiting the day when Prince’s trained thugs from third world countries (because they’re cheaper) come back to fight the U.S., like OBL. It’s one of the predictable blowbacks from the privatization of war that the U.S. is engaging in so cavalierly.
How closely is the Prince linked to Rove and W? Anyone recall?
Think I remember that Prince’s mother was a big W donor, but memory very vague so don’t hold me to it.
The liberal socialist Obama gubmint knew that Prince was planning to move to the UAE six weeks ago. Apparently, the gubmint wants not to arrest him, but to give Blackwater XE even more millions. Rhambama/Rove is much more interested in getting Julian Assange.
Like Kenny-boy Lay, They were all Bush Pioneers who had given the maximum. Really paid off for them. Still paying. Obama loves them too.
Prince took some of his inheritance (his parents were WELL-THEEEEEEEE) and set up a philanthropic organization in his family’s name. From the Erik Prince linky in my diary:
I’m stunned. Prince made it through Seal Training with Trust Fund
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince
Rich kids who can deal with that kind of verbal abuse Seal instructors hand out are rare.
You would be mistaken. You are probably correct in that Prince did not last long as a SEAL but he was born into a wealthy family:
From his wiki
Yep… looked it up and fixed it before my time ran out
Alternate explanation is the father was like one of the dads of Pat Conroy’s novels. Kids who’s self esteem has been abused out of them. Unfortunately, there’s lots of kids like that around, too
SEALs have a lot of freedom once through the training – it was the structure and such at the Naval Academy that he wimped out of.
Made it through the worst year at USNA, and then dropped out after the abuse of the first year at a military academy ended.
That’s weird.
Though I don’t have personal experience in the military, many of my family and closest friends do. I’m thinking that Prince dropped out after the toughest part of his training it is not so much weird as it is indicative of someone who understood very quickly that he could do more good (for HIM$ELF) as a mercenary than he’d ever do wearing Uncle Sam’s standard issues.
(h/t to Rayne for the comment here which pointed me to the Vanity Fair piece quoted above.)