Blackwater dumps tarnished brand name (new name "Xe")

[sabra]

Source: AP

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name.

Blackwater officials said Friday its family of two dozen business will now operate under the name Xe (zee), pronounced like the letter "z."

The decision comes as part of an ongoing rebranding effort that grew more urgent following a September 2007 shooting in Iraq that left at least a dozen civilians dead.

Blackwater president Gary Jackson said in a memo to employees the new name reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gk8APZD4Rl7fH7ST9w0AzVIBYN8QD96APTQ80

[Magleetis]

1. Different name

Same murdering assholes.

[glitch]

44. sorry dupe!

[Thor_MN]

84. Well, now that Preparations E, F and G have failed...

[izquierdista]

2. Rebranding?

How can't you improve after naming yourself after toilet flushings?

[Soylent Brice]

3. you can run, but you can't hide...

nice try assholes.

[hlthe2b]

4. So we'll refer to it as "Xe (zee) Blackwater...".

Sort of like "zee plane!"

I will certainly always correct anyone using their new white-washed moniker.

[file83]

88. Or "The Con-Artists Formerly Known As Blackwater"

[conspirator]

90. Their motto will be: "Xe papers please" nt

[EnviroBat]

5. I've got a "zee" for you...

How about zee Hague?

[Lost in CT]

6. Maybe they are closet Costa-Gavras fans?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065234/

[PADemD]

85. The letter "Z",

which in ancient Greek means "He is alive!"

[Wapsie B]

7. Just like Amway calling itself Quixtar

a rose is a rose is a rose. Or in this case if it looks like shit and smells like shit guess what? It's shit.

[Bozita]

67. Since Quixtar isn't using it's old name, Blackwater should adopt it. Everybody knows Amway!

Besides, it's all in the family.

[superconnected]

72. That's exactly how I see it. Make sure people can't find them to see they're a scam.

If you hear their name you won't know how to spell it to look it up.

[tanyev]

8. Good move, morons. Pick a name that no one will know how to pronounce.

How many people had a part in making that decision? I predict they will soon be referred to as "Xe, the company formerly known as Blackwater."

[Kolesar]

24. Sounds like a martial arts "kia"

You throw a punch, you exhale and shout "KIA!", or "HA!", or something like that. "Xe" is really dumb. Sounds like a video game or an operating system.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. Why does that big X bother me.

Oh yeah, because Blackwater was started by fundie Xtian freaks. :scared: Are they about to make their true intentions known?

"X" from the Greek symbol for Christ

Blackwater Reveals Underpinnings of 'Private Security' Industry

Reviewed by Alice Cherbonnier
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
by Jeremy Scahill
NY: Avalon Publishing Group, Inc./Nation Books, 2007. 438 pp. $26.95.

Questions arise for which there are no known answers at this time, such as: Who else besides Erik Prince has a financial stake in Blackwater?

Among the many topics covered in his new book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill shows how politically powerful Christian fundamentalists and Neocons are pressing forward with their battle for what they call 'freedom' and 'democracy'—whether the U.S. public, or indeed the rest of the world, wants...

[Jackpine Radical]

89. Xe= Chi= X?

X as a Greek letter is transliterated "Ch" as in Christos, this: Χριστοσ

[leftyclimber]

10. Xenon?

:shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. Or Xenu?

[Piewhacket]

11. Xi Blackwater.... catchy name. Xi Blackwater, Xi Blackwater, Blackwater....

Blackwater, Blackwater, Blackwater
Secret Police , Secret Police,
SS, SS , SS

and somehow they they think they can hide their stink?

[hedgehog]

12. Because Scorpio was already taken?

[Maat]

13. One of my friends went on a fact-finding mission to Jordon with Sheehan and Hayden, etc.

On the trip, not only did she learn about alleged torture and rape by our contractors, she learned that "Titan," an alleged perpetrator of torture, was now known as "L3." That really helped resolve the problems that will affect us for GENERATIONS.

http://www.titan.com/home.html

Disgusting.

[groundloop]

14. Yeah, and maybe after the next election fiasco

the repub party will rebrand itself. Let's see, maybe Party Of Obsolete Ideas (Pooi - pronounced pooey).

[HopeHoops]

15. A stinkin' steamin' pile of dog shit by any other name is still stinkin', steamin' and dog shit!

[graywarrior]

16. Maybe they can sell soap

[the_chinuk]

17. Well, that's all fixed then! So, like are we cool with y'alls now? B-)

[the_chinuk]

18. FWIW, the original site (blackwaterusa.com) is now called "US Training Center"....

still has the old URL for now though.

http://blackwaterusa.com

[superconnected]

73. how republican amway of them.

[the_chinuk]

77. oh, snap! n/t k/r

[Ichingcarpenter]

19. So they just cut off the handles on their swastika

I wonder if they will keep the black, red and white in their new company logo?





Some people don't care for them

[DrDebug]

39. No, they have a new logo

[Ichingcarpenter]

43. (e)..Xe..(cute) nice logo you made

Clever.:toast: :*

[DrDebug]

20. How about pronouncing it SS

X sounds like CS and C can be pronounced as either S or K.

[Canuckistanian]

21. I heard that "Happy Fun Industries" lost out in the final vote

Who do think they're kidding?

[Patsy Stone]

78. Hey...

[sofa king]

22. Ignoble Gasbags

[TommyO]

23. My first thought wasn't "zee", it was "X-e-cute"

[glitch]

58. Definitely too "cute", so it fits. Bet the use eXtreme branding too, eXcuse me for a minute while I

:puke:

[shadowknows69]

25. Yeah, that isn't even creepier than Blackwater or anything.

WTF is Xe? An ancient God of Death or something?

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. Abbreviation for Xtian Executioners. nt

[Donnachaidh]

63. Xtian Extremists n/t

[droidamus2]

27. Typical

Typical Republican/Conservative reaction. Don't examine what you did wrong, your assumptions or your ethical and moral guidelines, no that would be too hard just try to fool the people by changing your name. Yeah, and they ask why people don't trust corporate America. The fat cats and corporatists don't need to be brought down a few notches they need to have all the notches taken away from them. Limit pay, do some trust busting and try to again (if it ever has been) make this a government of 'all' the people not just the few.

[Buenaventura]

28. s'poze Eric Prince'll change is name to "O(+>)" ... the murderer formerly

known as Prince?

[superconnected]

75. rofl!

:rofl:

[sutz12]

30. This reminds me of a plane crash many years ago.

It happened at Orange County Airport (now John Wayne) in Southern California. IIRC nobody was hurt.

It was a Southwest Airlines jet that crashed at the side of the runway. I don't remember if it just rolled off the runway to the side or if it was landing or taking off. My recollection is a bit old. It was out of the way of flight operations, though, and didn't block any taxiways. It stayed there for a few weeks, presumably while the FAA/TSA did its investigation.

Anyway, the relevant fact is that they repainted the plane to blot out the logo and any corporate markings in about a day or so, and the airline rolled out new paint schemes and logos within a week or so. It was rather fascinating, really. :)

[Mari333]

31. meanwhile I chat with a soldier on facebook

who is at Camp Slayer in Iraq and tells me of the daily mortar attacks. his unit will be leaving in August and then the whole damned camp gets handed over to the Iraqis. at least Xe will be kicked out also.

[Purveyor]

32. Beleaguered Security Company Blackwater Worldwide Abandoning Tarnished Brand Name

Source: Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. - Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name. Blackwater officials said Friday its family of two dozen business will now operate under the name Xe (zee), pronounced like the letter "z."

The decision comes as part of an ongoing rebranding effort that grew more urgent following a September 2007 shooting in Iraq that left at least a dozen civilians dead.

Blackwater president Gary Jackson said in a memo to employees the new name reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security.

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/d2ws4t

[Blaze Diem]

33. Good to know. Evil fuckers can't hide. So, WHY this name?

Calling tinfoilers for investigative deciphering.

[DCKit]

35. It's obvious: "Christy" n/t

[Hell Hath No Fury]

37. My thoughts --

"X" from the Greek symbol for Christ

Blackwater Reveals Underpinnings of 'Private Security' Industry

Reviewed by Alice Cherbonnier
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
by Jeremy Scahill
NY: Avalon Publishing Group, Inc./Nation Books, 2007. 438 pp. $26.95.

Questions arise for which there are no known answers at this time, such as: Who else besides Erik Prince has a financial stake in Blackwater?

Among the many topics covered in his new book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill shows how politically powerful Christian fundamentalists and Neocons are pressing forward with their battle for what they call 'freedom' and 'democracy'—whether the U.S. public, or indeed the rest of the world, wants...


Erik Prince, the founder is a RW Xtian nutjob.

[glitch]

59. and e for eric, eric follows christ?

I wish these guys had real lives.

[shanti]

40. i'm thinking

that they used this name because if people can't pronounce it, they won't remember it.

[Dr.Phool]

34. Somebody already had Mikey the Mercenary.

And Tickles the Torturer.

[OwnedByFerrets]

36. You can cover shit with chocolate, but at heart, its still shit.

[Spinzonner]

38. Lipstick on a pig

[Xipe Totec]

41. Vee, are Zee new Schwartz Wasser n/t

[-..__...]

42. I wonder if it's too late to order a BW t-shirt or hat?

They'll probably sell out pretty quick once word of the name change spreads.

[balantz]

45. Blackwater to change name to 'Xe'

Source: Associated Press


Blackwater to change name to 'Xe'

Published: Friday February 13, 2009



RALEIGH, N.C. - Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name. Blackwater officials said Friday its family of two dozen business will now operate under the name Xe (zee), pronounced like the letter "z."

The decision comes as part of an ongoing rebranding effort that grew more urgent following a September 2007 shooting in Iraq that left at least a dozen civilians dead.

Blackwater president Gary Jackson said in a memo to employees the new name reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security

- clip -

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Blackwater_to_change_name_to_Xe_0213.html

[truthisfreedom]

46. Finally, they're cleaning up their dirty company.

We need a bigger sarcasm emoticon.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

47. They can still xeuck my.........nt

[underpants]

48. Damn! I was looking forward to the John Doe v. Blackwater (X) lawsuit

[mitchum]

64. What the fuck is John wearing in that picture?

Something he picked up at David Johansen's garage sale?
Doesn't really fit with that Sam Shepard thing John has been working for the past couple of decades.

[MineralMan]

49. Interesting. Changing their name

and hoping we forget the new one, I expect. Never mind. Xe is still the military arm of the Dominionist Christian movement, and bears close scrutiny, lest we face a coup d'etat in this country, led by that movement.

A private army, Xe is capable of staging serious attacks at almost any level in this country.

[underpants]

54. "Nativist"s and the Olin Foundation

"Nativist" is the new name for the anti-immigration folks. Guess what, they are directly tied to the White Supremacists (or whatever they call themselves now)
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/underpants/143

The Olin Foundation are part of the "Four Sisters" of rightwing funding. These groups funded the Heritage Foundation, AEI, and Americans for Tax Reform (Norquist). They are the revenue stream that created the conservative movement post-Nixon that we know today. The Coors family "Castlerock" and Koch Oil's operations are not in this group because they haven't gotten to THAT level of funding yet.

The Olin Foundation spent out their money, went underground if you will, and re-emerged under another name because they were just getting TOO MUCH attention :sarcasm:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/underpants/93

These sources say that Olin closed its door in 2005 but I know that I read somewhere that they were still in some way in existence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Olin_Foundation

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_M._Olin_Foundation

SPLC has a great long list of these type organizations
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=106

[barbtries]

50. thank you for posting this

i will not forget who they really are. murderous mercenaries.

[YOY]

51. THeir changing their focus from the private security business?

To what? Simply killing people for dollars? I'm pretty sure they don't have a broad skill range.

[Happyhippychick]

52. I thought that was Prince's new name?

[tooeyeten]

53. What about the corrupt and immoral methods?

" Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name."

[ClarkUSA]

55. They are trying to appeal to Asia with that moniker. It resembles Chinese pinyin for "Thanks".

[glitch]

56. Xeombies by any other name. K & R nt

[Frustratedlady]

57. Sounds like a childish code for Xeorro!

Little boys playing big, bad games.

[Kablooie]

86. Wow! That's exactly the name I would have picked for them! Am I psychic or what?

It was either Xe or Susan.
I couldn't decide which.

[hootinholler]

60. Xe Papers!

Vere are Xe PAPERS!

:shrug:

-Hoot

[Donnachaidh]

61. strange side story to add to this

Was talking to an old friend of my DH's a few weeks back, and he kept mentioning that his job required a lot of travel. He's a former corrections officer - and something in the back of my mind went off when he mentioned being in NOLA shortly after the disaster. I just blurted out -- *Are you working for Blackwater?* I thought it was an innocent enough question. Knew the guy for decades - we all went to grade school together, etc.

He got really weird and acted astounded -- "HOW do you know about Blackwater?!" I was really kind of stunned by his tone - as IF no one was supposed to know about this company, etc. I told him that I was a blogger and had read up quite a bit about the group on the net. Didn't tell him anything weird, just asked if he worked for them.

The conversation quickly went south at that point. He made some noises about calling us when he got back from his next assignment (didn't ask, it was very awkward) - but we haven't heard back from him since.

Guess those guys don't think anyone is watching them, huh?

[TheCowsCameHome]

62. More like "eX", as in has-been.

[muriel_volestrangler]

65. Better make it 'Xe Kittens', just to make sure people like it this time (nt)

[notadmblnd]

66. here's the contact infor for ILL

write or call and let them know how easily you'll be fooled by their new name.

252-435-2056 or e-mail: [e-mail]

[bottomtheweaver]

68. In case there was any doubt that most of these "contractors"

are CIA fronts. Privatized they may be, but they're still CIA.

[dysfunctional press]

69. most of the rest of the world pronounces the last letter of the alphabet as 'zed'...

not zee. or xe.

either way- it's a stupid and meaningless name.

[superconnected]

70. Just like an MLM, make sure their name is not like it's spelled so nobody can find it if they look

it up. That was absolutely intentional.

[sakabatou]

71. Xe?

Just because a killer throws on a new coat doesn't mean the killer is no more.

[DemoTex]

74. It was successful for crash-tainted ValuJet ..

They "re-branded" as AirTran Airways.

[jmowreader]

76. Are they trying to get back their license to operate in Iraq?

The Iraqi Government finally decided it had had enough of their shit, and revoked their license to operate in that country. Could this be a last-ditch attempt to get reinstated? "Look! We're not Blackwater anymore, we're Xe. New name. New president. New missions. Pretty please can we stay here? We'll be good, we promise!"

It really is a bad name, though.

[KakistocracyHater]

79. just like the tabacco corps!

Why am I not surprised? At least they sound Chinese now, that's something, right?

[labman57]

80. That which we call a thug by any other name

Unfortunately, they retained the original company slogan: "Shoot first, and to hell with the questions".

[FVZA_Colonel]

81. This sounds like a fucking eldritch rune.

That or an organization James Bond would be fighting against.

[goforit]

82. ROFLMAO!!! I wonder what the US military says!!!

[Mind_your_head]

83. Why did they pick that name?

Xe (zee), pronounced like the letter "z."

My guess is something along the lines of "the first shall be last and the last (letter of the alphbet) shall be first" kind of convoluted thinking from these sick m*therf*ckers!

Counterfeit messengers, they are!

[ronnie624]

87. "Blackwater president Gary Jackson said in a memo to employees

the new name reflects the change in company focus away from the business of providing private security."

The name is Xe. Just Xe.

After earning more than $1 billion in federal contracts from the Bush administration, mostly for providing security to U.S. diplomats in Iraq, she said the company will no longer pursue new security contracts. She said it will now work mostly on training law enforcement officers and military troops in such areas as weapons handling and hostage rescue.

<http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1405570.html>


Blackwater Is Dead! Long Live ... Xe?

<http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/02/blackwater_is_dead_long_live_xe.php>
(interesting reader comments)