Blackwater's Erik Prince to step down, reveals CIA role

[JackRiddler]

Source: Vanity Fair, via Raw Story

'Power struggle' inside Blackwater over Prince's successor

Blackwater's Erik Prince was recruited as a CIA agent in the years after the 9/11 attacks, says an exclusive report at Vanity Fair that also reveals the billionaire ex-Navy SEAL plans to step down from Blackwater to teach high school.

For the past six years, Prince "appears to have led an astonishing double life," writes Adam Ciralsky. "Publicly, he has served as Blackwater’s CEO and chairman. Privately, and secretly, he has been doing the CIA’s bidding, helping to craft, fund, and execute operations ranging from inserting personnel into 'denied areas'—places US intelligence has trouble penetrating—to assembling hit teams targeting al-Qaeda members and their allies."

Ciralsky reports that Prince became a CIA "asset," or spy, who became a "Mr. Fix-It" in the war on terror.

"Prince wasn’t merely a contractor; he was, insiders say, a full-blown asset," Ciralsky reports. "Three sources with direct knowledge of the relationship say that the CIA’s National Resources Division recruited Prince in 2004 to join a secret network of American citizens with special skills or unusual access to targets of interest. As assets go, Prince would have been quite a catch. He had more cash, transport, matériel, and personnel at his disposal than almost anyone Langley would have run in its 62-year history."

Read more: http://rawstory.com/2009/12/blackwaters-prince-cia-role/

---

Surprise, surprise.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, imo. The intelligence agencies have always used private fronts. In the last 30 years and especially in the last eight years they have privatized themselves almost completely to evade any form of official oversight (lame as that usually is) and to rake in huge profits. Two-thirds of intelligence budgets (about $50 billion total) now goes to private contractors. The result is a full-blown parapolitical branch of government, structured like an octopus with many heads and thousands of tentacles. These structures benefit from instability, wars, disasters and chaos, and their actions tend to create the very same crises with which their existence is justified. We worry about (or sneer at) mere "conspiracy theory," but in fact we have a privatized deep state with room for hundreds of "conspiratorial" (i.e., criminal) networks.

[Blue_Tires]

1. local coverage (including a flamefest in the comments section)

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/12/blackwater-chief-confirms-his-role-cia-missions-0

[dgibby]

9. Thanks for the link.

Shadowman posted some interesting info there:

The Prince Group, Falcon, Total Intelligence Solutions, EP Investments, US Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting,Avaition Worldwide Services, Presidential Airways…..the list goes on.

snip


Blackwater has now set up a new , subsidiary, headquartered in the Barbados (that haven for businesses seeking to evade taxes because, after all, we wouldn’t want Blackwater to pay taxes on the money it gets from the American taxpayers through sole source contracts with DOD, State, and OHS) called Greystone. This new company has taken over many of the operations that old Blackwater did – but in a more corporate, low profile manner.

A rose by any other name......

[Aragorn]

108. you mean

a turd

[RedCloud]

29. Also there are many paramilitary, military, post military in the area, so ANY dissent is good.

Wouldn't surprise me if some get paid to write their wing nut shit as they were doing during Viet Nam.

[dotymed]

33. Air America strikes again

If Bush(Commander in Chief) is not prosecuted over this...what a fucking slap in the face to America. Trillions of dollars funneled through this guy to do the dirty, illegal, immoral, bidding of our government. This has ramifications that will never be fully realized. Poppa Bush taught 'em well.... How can Obama keep this going?

[sattahipdeep]

46. Xe - Xterminate Everyone

Holder will probably refuse to prosecute Prince.

He will sip Mai Tai’s with Ken Lay in Paraguay.

What’s next? A brave CIA/ISI operator admits ” 9/11 WAS an inside job”

[Peace Patriot]

64. Hey, no more slams against Paraguay. They elected a leftist president last year after

61 years of fascist rule including a long period of heinous dictatorship, and they rescinded their non-extradition law as well as their law immunizing the US military. Paraguay has joined the leftist democracy movement that has swept most of South America and about half of Central America. They are no longer a haven for war criminals! Got to pick some place else to imagine war criminals running off to. The UAE? Colombia? Miami?

[loudsue]

85. I didn't know that PP! That's great news!

Glad to hear they rescinded their policy of non-extradition! I'm sure Junior wishes he hadn't invested so much money in that land down there. I mean, how was he to be sure that Obama was going to let him slide on his war crimes?

[ChiciB1]

101. Well, The Statement HAS BEEN MADE "We Want To Look Forward & Not Back" So

I don't see that anything will be done. While I realize Obama & Co. has a lot on their plate, THIS ONE ISSUE says volumes about America and it's real agenda! And yet, at the same time we have the "AUDACITY" to call ourselves a Democracy!!

Johnathan Turley has been correct about this one for a very long time... Habeas Corpus and the Constitution are being trampled on and those in power simply look the other way!! So, even though Obama is very popular in other countries, as BFEE was not, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE??

When crimes are committed, prosecution is the usual route, UNLESS you can buy your way out of it!! And I suspect many in Congress have secrets to hide themselves.

Just like Larry Summers said about auditing of the Federal Reserves... you probably won't like what you will find! It may not have been Summers who said it, but it was Greenspan, Bernanke or Geithener I'm almost sure! What a thing to say!! It's almost like admitting that laws were broken!!

So to prosecute those in high places isn't a Democratic policy we uphold in this country... just us peons!

[L. Coyote]

93. DU coverage: Dec-09-07 = "Does anyone on DU believe Blackwater is NOT a CIA or MIA front? "

DU was out in front of this story way back when, years ago!!!!

======================
L. Coyote - Dec-09-07 12:43 PM
3. Does anyone on DU believe Blackwater is NOT a CIA or MIA front? Just asking.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2434635#2435163

The old-fashioned intelligence front served a variety of purposes, especially deniability.
The basic modis operandi is do all the things you might need to deny in this manner.
And, reap rich rewards on those willing to undertake your dirty work, of course, with kickbacks to politicos.

Why would anyone think this is not just more of the same old, same old, tired trick, a front for certain operations?

[Piewhacket]

102. (ok, we all 'knew', but now its different. now we 'know'. ) n/t

[Warpy]

2. He was a Jesus jumper who was showered with every benefit

the last administration could heap upon him. Now he's threatening to tell where all the bodies are buried if the prosecution doesn't drop it.

The prosecution needs to keep going, making it a closed trial if it's absolutely necessary.

This POS should not be allowed to keep profiting from his corruption in the name of gawd.

[LiberalFighter]

3. He is going to be allowed to teach high school?

Which scumbag administrator is hiring him? And what will he be teaching? How to kill your other teachers?

[Mithreal]

6. Bush history and the second coming

Imagine having this asshole as a history teacher.

[JackRiddler]

8. It's a start.

He can only damage 25-35 victims at a time.

Wonder what high school is hiring this motherfucker.

[Selena Harris]

16. Those who can't....

Well Stanford gave a position to Condi Rice AND Rumsfeld.

How about AGAG-Alberto GONEzales-he's teaching at a University in Texas.

How about John Yoo-isn't he ALSO teaching?..

Hey, Pat Roberts would hire him in a heartbeat for Regent U!

[fascisthunter]

18. maybe he'll be appointed to a position within our government

hell, a bunch of scumbags already have been.

[bulloney]

20. I was thinking the same thing. They revoke your teacher's license for sleeping with a student.-

But, if you direct a corporation of mercenaries and wage underworld wars, it's OK to teach our kids.

[wordpix]

57. should be in jail teaching there, if anywhere. On second thought,

I wouldn't want him infecting the minds of criminals and gang bangers in the Big House.

[closeupready]

4. There's no big surprise in this, is there?

??

[JackRiddler]

10. Of course not - but confirmation beats logical suspicion.

[L. Coyote]

54. "I’m paying for all sorts of intelligence activities..., out of my own pocket.”

How legal is that? What activities?

[dgibby]

5. Just another upstanding member of the Shadow Government

we've all come to know and love. I wonder if he has ties to the "C ST. Family" and/or BFEE.:grr:

[wordpix]

60. This blogger at RawStory really nails it & brings it all back to BushCheney

Scuby

"So, in a nutshell the CIA basically hired its own private army/assassination sqaud. All of which was concealed from Congress by the Bush Administration (hence ILLEGAL)….until the new administration came into place and discovered the ILLEGAL program and terminated it. And Prince thinks he was “outed” like Plame was??? ROFLMAO!! No, you were outed because you were running an illegal ops program and for the CIA that by law has to be reported to Congress….and it wasn’t! Plame did nothing illegal. In fact she was operating by the book, and the program she was working on (nuclear non-proliferation in Iran)….a very very important cause…was sacrificed so Bush/Cheney could maintain/coverup their corrupt intentions to lie us into war in Iraq! Big difference there fella! Big difference!"

Do ya think THIS will result in some of the BushCo criminals being hauled up to Congress to answer a few questions? :shrug:

[dgibby]

87. Well, it SHOULD,

but I have my doubts. I'm beginning to believe the Shadow Govt has much more power than we thought, and that everybody answers to it, and I do mean everybody.

I think our "Democratic Republic" is merely an illusion.

[L. Coyote]

88. Bush/Cheney START-UP Donations?? 10/4/2000 = $68,000 and 10/30/2000 = $20,000

http://www.opensecrets.org/

[L. Coyote]

90. Licensed to Kill BY Scott Horton - Oct 6, 2007

Licensed to Kill
BY Scott Horton - Oct 6, 2007
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/10/hbc-90001367

The Bush Justice Department does have an essential law enforcement mission, though sometimes it seems to behave much more like a criminal syndicate. It warmly embraces the crime of torture as a tool for collecting human intelligence notwithstanding both its manifest illegality and immorality and the uniform view of intelligence professionals that torture consistently produces corrupted, inherently unreliable information. In so doing of course it is engaged in a fairly primitive game of self-protection. It can’t acknowledge the fundamental criminality of its conduct, so it turns the Justice Department into its consigliere. Three different lawyers in the office of legal counsel have rendered formal opinions giving a stamp of approval to a universal crime. Indeed, this sort of legal dexterity now seems to be accepted as a rite of passage for “movement” lawyers—a fact which is very revealing of the new character of the “movement.” It has nothing to do with ideals, and everything to do with personal fidelity. In each of these cases, the opinion boils down to the fundamental principle of the authoritarian state, namely: if the Leader authorizes it, then it must be okay. I can’t wait to see the intellectual conversion that will occur on January 20, 2009, when the opposition party furnishes the Executive.

But the Justice Department’s attitude towards murder is also extremely revealing. In the view of the Bush Administration, a number of curious footnotes have been introduced into the concept of murder. One of them appears to be that certain persons are given a license to kill, freely, with full and unquestioned discretion. They need fear neither criminal investigation nor negative repercussions for their crimes. They will be protected.

Of course this sort of license does not come cheaply. It would appear that you get this license by having a close, nurturing relationship with the Republican Party—funding its candidates for office and offering employment to its functionaries following a sort of revolving door model. The strangest part of the Tuesday hearing came when Blackwater USA head Erik Prince was grilled about his funding of Republican causes—not by a Democrat, but rather by a remarkably PR-challenged Republican. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Blackwater’s head, who inherited a large automotive parts business based in Holland, Michigan

has donated $230,000 to federal campaigns and causes in the last decade. Almost all of that money has gone to Republicans,/] ......

[Gregorian]

7. I hope when he steps down that he has a noose around his neck.

Actually, one life sentence would be better.

Edit- I guess I'm not really the pacifist I thought I was.

[L. Coyote]

89. Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder
Source: The Nation/Jeremy Scahill - http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/scahill


A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life."

In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting "illegal" or "unlawful" weapons into the country on Prince's private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.

These allegations, and a series of other charges, are contained in sworn affidavits, given under penalty of perjury, filed late at night on August 3 in the Eastern District of Virginia as part of a seventy-page motion by lawyers for Iraqi civilians suing Blackwater ......

.........

In a separate sworn statement, the former US marine who worked for Blackwater in Iraq alleges that he has "learned from my Blackwater colleagues and former colleagues that one or more persons who have provided information, or who were planning to provide information about Erik Prince and Blackwater have been killed in suspicious circumstances." Identified as "John Doe #1," he says he "joined Blackwater and deployed to Iraq to guard State Department and other American government personnel." It is not clear if Doe #1 is still working with the company as he states he is "scheduled to deploy in the immediate future to Iraq." Like Doe #2, he states that he fears "violence" against him for "submitting this Declaration." No further details on the alleged murder(s) are provided.

.............

[Gregorian]

98. I remember that. Justice isn't blind. And it takes bribes.

I'm thinking OJ.

[and-justice-for-all]

11. Is that a beutiful cover story or what?! nt

[JackRiddler]

12. How so? I think he's delivering a threat to the CIA so as to avoid prosecution.

Sing, Erik, Sing!

[Selena Harris]

26. Conflict of interest?

Could he LEGALLY be making this kind of money as a contractor while working for CIA?

Isn't that illegal?

[JackRiddler]

27. By definition the CIA exists to allow the government to mandate illegal activities.

Is it illegal when the government does or sanctions it? Isn't that the most important question in modern jurisprudence?

[barbtries]

41. laws, schmaws

they got no use for our stinkin' laws! :nuke:

[and-justice-for-all]

32. I read it as Prince was working with the CIA...

in doing so, he would not be prosecuted. CIA is covering Prince's ass...cover up for Prince.

[L. Coyote]

91. Blackwater and the Administration of Justice = Republican and Religious Right Politics

Blackwater and the Administration of Justice
Scott Horton - Jan 19, 2008 - http://harpers.org/archive/2008/01/hbc-90002175


I spent the better part of the last year looking in some detail into a series of legal policy issues surrounding private security contractors, a process that culminated in the issuance of a report last week entitled Private Security Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity.(4 MB PDF http://www.humanrightsfirst.info/pdf/08115-usls-psc-final.pdf )

The report deals with an entire industry which has popped up like mushrooms after a spring rain. But when you examine this issue, and particularly its government relations aspects, you come very quickly to a focus on one particular company, Blackwater USA, whose baroque conduct seems to supply the material for novels, if not articles in Soldier of Fortune Magazine.

Blackwater is anything but a “normal” security contractor. Its relationship with the Bush Administration is truly extraordinary in many respects. Blackwater is an unabashedly political entity, which aligns itself fully, and ideologically with the Republican Party. Its founder and owner, Erik Prince, who has been profiled very effectively by Jeremy Scahill in his comprehensive book, Blackwater, was born to wealth and privilege in the family of an automobile parts magnate with a long track record of involvement in Republican and Religious Right politics.

....................

FROM: Jan-19-08 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2722594

[L. Coyote]

92. Scott Horton, Jeremy Scahill on Dem. Now!: What is Blackwater’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Race?

Scott Horton, Jeremy Scahill on Dem. Now!: What is Blackwater’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Race?
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/10/what_is_blackwaters_role_in_the

What is Blackwater’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Race?

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney cited Cofer Black, the former head of Counterterrorism at the CIA, as his advisor on issues involving prisoner interrogation during a recent presidential debate. Black is now the vice chairman on private military firm, Blackwater. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, author of “Blackwater: the Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army” about Romney and Black as well as State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard and his brother’s ties to the company.

We turn to the latest in the unfolding controversy surrounding the private military firm Blackwater. On Friday the State Department”s top investigator was forced to resign following the disclosure his brother sat on Blackwater’s advisory board. Inspector General Howard Krongard had initially denied his brother”s ties to the company. Current and former State Department officials have previously accused Krongard of thwarting probes into contracting waste and crimes in Iraq—including alleged arms smuggling by Blackwater guards.

Meanwhile, after initially indicating it would let Blackwater’s contract expire in May, State Department officials are now raising the likelihood of a renewal.

..................

FROM: babylonsister Dec-10-07 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2439151

[shadowknows69]

13. Color me not surprised and yet still completely horrified.

[omega minimo]

35. Curiouser and curiouser

[shadowknows69]

36. Fuckin A Alice.

[omega minimo]

38. Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore...

[shadowknows69]

39. I want another chance to take the blue pill instead.

[omega minimo]

42. LOL

:rofl: :toast: SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shadowknows69]

43. For the win. I got nothin.

[omega minimo]

59. I'm Mad As Hell And Not Gonna TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

[shadowknows69]

105. Thought of that, but Soylent Green pretty much trumps everything.

In my Sci-fi geekdom saturated world anyway B-)

[Javaman]

107. Meh, this day in age, Soylent Green would be shrugged off as another fast food.

:rofl: I laugh to keep back the tears.

[Arctic Dave]

14. Looks like the CT were right on this guy.

Who would of thought Cheney would create his own merc army.

On edit:
I have to say it, but this does give the more outlandish CT claims a little more credence.

[Selena Harris]

15. It's not Neo CONspiracy,it's.....

Neo CONcerted collusion.

[Alcibiades]

17. If true, they will suicide him

“The left complained about how Valerie Plame’s identity was compromised for political reasons. A special prosecutor appointed. Well, what happened to me was worse. People acting for political reasons disclosed not only the existence of a very sensitive program but my name along with it.”

Of course, he may be lying about this: he's just the sort of self-absorbed egomaniac who would lie about something such as this. But if this is true, it does explain a lot, number one being the untouchability of Blackwater/Xe: it was doing the CIA's bidding.

He may find, though, that there are more than a few of us on the left who opportunistically jump on this bandwagon. CIA asset or not, Prince knows where the bodies are buried, quite literally. Plus, outing Plame may seem to be a one-off, but outing two CIA assets by the Bush administration is a pattern, a pattern accompanied by various other possible charges, such as obstruction of justice and conspiracy.

If true, this really could be the nail in the coffin of the Bush administration, assuming anyone has the guts to follow up on this.

[seafan]

19. Rest assured: There is a BFEE connection with Blackwater.

So, now, we're hearing that Erik Prince is cutting ties with Blackwater:


December 3, 2009

It was reported this week that Holland native Erik Prince is severing ties to Blackwater, the controversial international security firm he founded, complaining that he had been "thrown under the bus."

.....

(Via Vanity Fair)

"For the past six years, (Prince) appears to have led an astonishing double life. Publicly, he has served as Blackwater's C.E.O. and chairman. Privately, and secretly, he has been doing the C.I.A.'s bidding, helping to craft, fund, and execute operations ranging from inserting personnel into 'denied areas' -- places U.S. intelligence has trouble penetrating -- to assembling hit teams targeting al-Qaeda members and their allies. Prince, according to sources with knowledge of his activities, has been working as a C.I.A. asset: in a word, as a spy."

.....

The BFEE connection? Wait for it...



The former leadership of Blackwater:


Erik Prince, Gary Jackson, Cofer Black, Joseph Schmitz (brother of Mary Kay Schmitz LeTourneau)


.....And Joseph Schmitz's brother, John P. Schmitz, is married to Lucila Garnica Gallo, who is the sister of Columba Bush, Jeb Bush's wife.

Blackwater's top brass (link now dead)

The Virginian-Pilot
© July 24, 2006


JOSEPH SCHMITZ, 49, became chief operating officer and general counsel of the Prince Group in September 2005 after a stint as inspector general at the Defense Department.

Schmitz was the senior Pentagon official responsible for investigating waste, fraud and abuse. Now he faces a congressional inquiry into accusations that he quashed two criminal investigations of senior Bush administration officials. The inquiry is continuing, according to a spokeswoman for Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Schmitz was a special assistant to Attorney General Edwin Meese III in the Reagan administration. He was awarded the Defense Department Medal for Distinguished Public Service on his retirement from the Pentagon.

Schmitz’s father, John G. Schmitz, was a two-term Republican congressman from California and a prominent member of the John Birch Society, an ultra-conservative group that flowered during the Cold War. He ran for president in 1972 as the candidate of the American Independent Party after its founder, George Wallace, was paralyzed by a would-be assassin.

John Schmitz’s political career ended with the revelation that he had a mistress who bore two of his children. He then moved to Washington, where he bought a house once owned by Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

Joseph Schmitz’s sister, Mary Kay LeTourneau, also became embroiled in a scandal. As a married teacher in Washington state, she went to prison after being convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student with whom she ultimately had two children. The two have since married.

With Mary Kay LeTourneau in this mix, to hear that Erik Prince is quitting Blackwater to go teach high school is mind-blowing.


Erik Prince, exposed as CIA asset, Vanity Fair, January, 2010




Our very own shadow government, still in place.


The BFEE may not be in the White House right now, but they lurk in the shadows, waiting to seize overt power again.

[jaksavage]

21. Who needs overt

when covert is working just fine.

[seafan]

22. Gotta be **seen as legitimate** by the peasants, don'tcha know. n/t

[L. Coyote]

86. SALON: The Bush administration's ties to Blackwater = Oct. 02, 2007

The Bush administration's ties to Blackwater
Blamed in the deaths of Iraqi civilians, the private security firm has long ties to the White House and prominent Republicans, including Ken Starr.
By Ben Van Heuvelen - http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/10/02/blackwater_bush/print.html

Oct. 02, 2007 | When Blackwater contractors guarding a U.S. State Department convoy allegedly killed 11 unarmed Iraqi civilians on Sept. 16, it was only the latest in a series of controversial shooting incidents associated with the private security firm. Blackwater has a reputation for being quick on the draw. Since 2005, the North Carolina-based company, which has about 1,000 contractors in Iraq, has reported 195 "escalation of force incidents"; in 163 of those cases Blackwater guns fired first. According to the New York Times, Blackwater guards were twice as likely as employees of two other firms protecting State Department personnel in Iraq to be involved in shooting incidents.

.................

[Odin2005]

23. why am I not suprised?

:puke:

[KamaAina]

24. I'm shocked. Shocked!

:sarcasm:

[annabanana]

25. yet another publicly funded talibornagain. . . n/t

[katty]

28. Erik demonboysicko of Blackwater

[harun]

30. So the CEO of a company the U.S. gov't is awarding contracts to is on the gov't payroll.

Not only that he is an outspoken puke and gives money to the pukes.

Yah, no chance of corruption in that web.

:sarcasm:

[wordpix]

56. isn't there a law against this?

[harun]

80. Yes, Obama probably found out about it and put an end to it.

[Betty Karlson]

31. Well, that indicates a possible explanation

for why Mr Prince has evaded prosecution all these years, when the evidence of war crimes just kept mounting up. It makes me throw up that this man and I were baptised in the same church.

[varelse]

34. A high school teacher?

seriously?

[Ignis]

45. Yes, he's going to be very, very busy.

So busy that I'm sure he'll be unable to take any interviews or answer any questions on the subject of the CIA.

[Hekate]

55. Mothers, hide your children

:scared:

Hekate

[lib2DaBone]

37. How is this even considereed a "conspiracy".. when he admits he was working for the CIA?

There are now over 100,000 contractors (mercenaries) working on the taxpers' dime in Afpakistan.

As far a teaching school.. maybe he'll show up as a student advisor at Columbine High... or maybe a consutant at Virginia Tech....

[L. Coyote]

82. ***** Waxman Hearing on Blackwater: Eric Prince, CEO ***** When did he admit such?

Did he admit it when testifying before Congress? NOT!

=====================
Official Thread # 1 Waxman Hearing on Blackwater: Eric Prince, CEO is witness, cspan3
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1957867#1957867

In 2000, Blackwater had just $204,000 in government contracts.

"In 2000, Blackwater had just $204,000 in government contracts. Since then, it has received over $1 billion in federal contracts. More than half of these contracts were awarded without full and open competition."

BLACKWATER USA Waxman's Opening Statement = Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1958204&mesg_id=1958204

=================
Official Thread # 2 = http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1958372

Official Thread # 3 = http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1958984

Official Thread # 4 = http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1959806

[L. Coyote]

83. Did Prince LIE to Congress at Waxman hearings? Only defensive operations!

Time to review what Prince told Congress, in particular the part about only defensive operations.

[barbtries]

40. well he's done a terrible job

why isn't he going to prison? aargh

why do we still have to be so afraid if all these agents are such super duper spies they can infiltrate anywhere? as far as i'm concerned they have simply succeeded at infiltrating the US government for their own gain and to the detriment of the world.

[Fire1sKid]

44. High School Teacher,YOU GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!???

An ex-assassin is going to be a high school teacher?Whats next?Let me guess,Dick Cheney is gonna be an ethics professor.

[mcablue]

47. Oswald would have confessed, too...but Ruby took care of him

No one will ever convince me that Oswald was not a CIA agent.

[Peace Patriot]

66. You read James Douglass' book, "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"?

He pretty much wraps that one up. No question in my mind that Oswald was a low level asset being directed here and there to lay a trail to Russia. JFK had clashed with everybody in the Joints Chief and the MIC on nuking Russia during the Cuban missile crisis. They wanted to strike Russia while we had missile superiority and wipe them off the map. JFK wouldn't do it. So they set things up to pressure LBJ to do it in retaliation for JFK's murder. LBJ found out about this very early, and knew that Russia was not guilty of it, but feared being forced into armageddon, so agreed to the cover up, which was primarily to try to erase the trail to Russia (and also of course to cover up the CIA's own trail). JFK had early on clashed with the CIA over the "Bay of Pigs," had fired the CIA Director and vowed at that time to "smash the CIA into a thousand pieces." They were also disobeying his orders and violating his policy in Vietnam. JFK wanted to withdraw US troops from Vietnam and was trying to arrange neutral status for Vietnam in the "Cold War"--as had been done for Laos--and the CIA arranged the assassination of the leader JFK hoped could broker a peace with the North (Diem) one month before they assassinated JFK himself and tried to make it look Russia did it. (Three days after JFK was killed, LBJ said, "Now they can have their war." He was talking the CIA and Vietnam.)

Douglass also goes into great detail on JFK's backchannels to Nikita Krushchev and to Fidel Castro, trying to get around the CIA (and the Joint Chiefs/MIC) and END the "Cold War." END it! That is the biggest revelation in his book ("why he died and why it MATTERS"). The book is meticulously documented and totally compelling. He nails it.

[demigoddess]

48. I think he wants to step down to protect his assents in case the company is sued

and loses. He does not want to be personally liable for some of those judgments.

[bvar22]

49. Obama using Blackwater for assassinations in Pakistan

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/report-obama-admin-blackwater-assassinations-pakistan/

[xiamiam]

50. so does that mean that blackwater is the cias army?

[L. Coyote]

52. so does that mean that writer Adam Ciralsky still works for CIA?

[unc70]

65. My guess: Ciralsky at least "remains friends with people from the Agency" :)

As I was ready Ciralsky's VF article I noticed how various problems were minimized in the narrative while other big items were simply missing entirely. It feels like one of those "framing the debate" articles common in VF, ready to become basis for all future discussions, but really designed to limit debate by repeatedly "begging the question" -- assuming as facts things not proven then building upon them.

Does anyone every really retire from the CIA?

[L. Coyote]

51. FRONT = to funnel lots of CIA money into Republican political campaigns

Blackwater USA Connections - Campaign Contributions for the Culture of Corruption.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1966261

The list of donations is very long, a real Who's Who in the Culture of Corruption.
Here is a sampling, plus quotes from a study follow.

PRINCE, ERIK MR - MCLEAN,VA 22102
Donations:
7/27/2007 - $20,000 - National Republican Congressional Cmte
8/5/2005 - $25,000 - National Republican Congressional Cmte
7/14/2004 - $25,000 - Republican National Cmte
$500 - National Conservative Campaign Fund
$5,000 - Green Party of Luzerne County
10/15/2003 - $2,000 - Bush, George W
11/16/2004 - $1,000 - DeLay, Tom
09/26/2005 - $2,100 - DeLay, Tom

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search_hp.asp?txtName...

PRINCE, ERIK - CODY,WY 82414 - THE PRINCE GROUP
10/30/2000 - $20,000 - Republican National Cmte
10/4/2000 - $68,000 - RNC/Repub National State Elections Cmte
1/30/2001 - $3,950 - RNC/Repub National State Elections Cmte
11/1/1994 - $1,000 - North, Oliver

............. MORE ..............

[caseymoz]

76. Good point !!! +1

The money scandal is a lot wider than that. These "coverts" privatize so they could then make hundreds of times what they did as government employees. Then they take only a little of that money and funnel it back to the Republican Party.

No wonder the Repubs love the idea of privatization, and their rank and file have been conned into these public/private partnerships, thinking that the government is too expensive, can't do anything right, while they pay much more for contractors who do a worse job and are far more expensive. Privatization has been a cancer at all levels of government, but especially concerning the military and intelligence.

[quaker bill]

112. This is not alot of money

not when discussing pallets of 100 dollar bills. It is hardly even a tip.

[IndianaGreen]

53. CIA should be abolished altogether

I would keep the intelligence gathering and analysis part of it, and move them to a new agency. I would give pink slips to the rest of the spooks!

[wordpix]

58. he's a "Mr. Fix-it?" geesh, he did nothing but screw up & fuck up alongside BushCo

:puke: :shrug:

[JackRiddler]

61. What's the bottom line? How many billions did they rake in? That's what matters to them.

In the sense that matters to them, they didn't fuck up. They did well.

[unc70]

62. Here are critical parts of the Eric Prince/CIA story that no one is discussing

Here are some important connections involving Eric Prince need to be part of these discussions.

Cerberus (one of our favorite investment groups) in April broke off negotiations aimed at acquiring Blackwater/Xe. Once it is separated and reconstituted, I would expect the deal to go forward, in turn providing Prince with a huge pile of "legitimate" cash.

Prince's father had provided much of the funding for the Family Research Council, among other things. When the father died, the Prince family sold the business to Johnson Controls, providing them with huge amounts of cash which they have spread among RW and Repub groups. Remember that his sister married into the even-richer Amway family; she is/was head of the Michigan Republican Party. Johnson Controls is primarily owned and controlled by groups that are owned by Cerbreus.

Everyone needs to refresh their memories about the Krongard brothers, Buzzy the investment banker and executive director of the CIA under Bush, Howard/Cookie the Inspector General for the State Department. Then the Schmitz family, remembering that Joseph was Inspector General for DoD until 2005 when resigned to join Blackwater, and making sure to note who they married, worked for, and started businesses with.

EDIT: Nearly forgot Cofer Black.

So you have investment bankers, CIA, nobid Federal contracts, Inspectors General for State and Defense, huge contributions to RW groups and Repub candidates and politicians, assassinations around the world, outside the reach of any oversight and answering only to themselves and to God (in many cases a rather worrisome subgroup of Roman Catholic).

There is way too much more, but I need some sleep.

[EFerrari]

67. Wow. I need a program. Didn't know most of that when I posted this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5118451

Thank you!

[L. Coyote]

77. Prince had a White House internship with George H.W. Bush

Talk about early CIA connections! And, that places him inside the Iran-Contra crew.

===============
Erik Prince, CEO, Blackwater
10.01.07 - By Josh Marshall
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/054744.php

........... 22 year old Prince told the Grand Rapids Press, "I interned with the Bush administration for six months. I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with -- homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns." .........

[L. Coyote]

81. VIDEO: Prince Invited 'Buzzy' Krongard to Join Blackwater Adivsory

Erik Prince Invited Krongard's Brother to Join Blackwater Advisory Board
By Spencer Ackerman - November 14, 2007, 11:59AM
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004703.php

Krongard might not know if his brother is a member of Blackwater's advisory board. But Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) read from a July, 2007 letter from Erik Prince, the company's CEO, inviting A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard to join the board as "a stellar opportunity to support security, peace and freedom." Howard Krongard said he still didn't know if his brother has in fact joined the board, but that if A.B. Krongard has, Howard Krongard would recuse himself from any investigations into Blackwater.

............ VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx4es4xWLDo

[earth mom]

63. High School? That fucker belongs in jail!!!

:puke:

[Irreverend IX]

68. This has... interesting implications for Blackwater employees.

If Prince was a high-level CIA asset, then any Blackwater contractor could be an undercover spy for all a foreign government knows. That's bad news for contractors in any foreign country (except Iraq, which is all US-controlled anyway). Whether Prince is lying or telling the truth, he just put all his former employees in danger.

[FlyByNight]

69. Can't say I'm surprised

Given the CIA's bloody and shadowy record over the decades, this is pretty much par for the course. As William Blum has written (paraphrased), what the government is actually doing is worse than you imagine.

Even if Obama had the will to check the military/security complex (which I doubt), the resources to actually do it, don't exist. The private/monied/greed rot is so deep in Congress and other agencies, I don't think it can be fixed.

:puke:

[Piewhacket]

70. (bleeping) (bleep censored bleep). What JackRiddler said + Hang everyone, let god sort it out.

JackRiddler - nice analysis.

CIA blackops of this magnitude are inconsistent with a democratic
society governed by rule of law and accountable civilian authority,
and are actually a grave threat to US democracy and national security.

There is not much question that these ops are basically illegal... that's
obviously why they are black, and kept black.

Past time to clean house and hang some people. If that includes a couple
of presidents... well, accountability starts at the top.

Erik Prince teach High School? That's a joke. He hasn't the education OR
moral character.

[Demeter]

71. Why don't I Believe This?

Because CIA assets don't go around telling the world. They guard their secret lives with the knowledge that their lives are at stake.

And as for teaching high school, does he have enough body armor and ammo?

[unc70]

94. Prince doesn't act like a SEAL either. Seems like damage ctrl cover story

I don't believe a lot of things in the VF article. What is most interesting is that it was written and published. Why, why now, and for what purpose. I suspect there is something big coming and this is a fall-back cover story of some sort.

I agree that Erik Prince certainly doesn't act like a traditional CIA "asset" and going public like this. He doesn't act like the SEALs or members of other special units that I have known. I have trouble remembering anyone similar to Prince: extroverted, manic, needing apporval and attention, boastful, seemingly insecure while outwardly over-confident. Having someone like him on you mission team can get you killed. On the other hand, his personality might be right as the front man/public image.

I have questions about his life story, but no extra time to do the research. Maybe someone here already knows the answers. Why was Prince separated from the Naval Academy after three semesters? Was he really a SEAL or just some other specialist who sometimes worked with SEALs? (There are a lot of these.) Details about the rest of his life story don't seem quite right elsewhere.

There are several strange items in the VF article itself. Will post about them when I get a few minutes.

[Enthusiast]

72. Only the sheerest veil

of privatization separates tax payer supported U.S. intelligence and right wing/fascism organized crime. We have known this for years. Now they control the largest heroin production and smuggling operation in the history of the world.

[mother earth]

73. Careful, Jack, they'll be calling you a CT. The criminals-in-

action are responsible for what ails the world, they've screwed with it forever, funded by our dollars, under the blanket of "security" while nailing the coffin shut. This needs to stop, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

[sattahipdeep]

74. War Criminal Obushma---Yeah, who'd think?

Pakistan’s former chief of army staff, General Mirza Aslam Beg has said the U.S. private security company Blackwater was directly involved in the assassinations of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

In addition, U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh has accused former U.S vice president Dick Cheney of being involved in the Hariri assassination.

He said Cheney was in charge of a secret team that was tasked with assassinating prominent political figures.

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2009/09/21/blackwater-involved-in-bhutto-and-hariri

Wayne Madsen-CIA Hired Blackwater Employees as Assassins 8/21/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTrdQ9o497E

War Criminal Obama is just following what War Criminal Cheney tells him to do.

And some loons expect War Criminal Obushma to “go after” and prosecute War Criminals Cheney and Bush.

Prince, has faced no consequences for the actions of his forces.

Prince conspired to murder witnesses.

[leveymg]

75. Erik Prince is the American Osama Bin Laden: a CIA asset with a lot of money and gunmen

working for him.

The parallels extend further. The top people at Blackwater were CIA managers that ran al-Qaeda as an Agency asset until 9/11. Cofer Black was CIA Chief of Station in Khartoum in the mid-1990s at the time that bin Laden, Abu Zubaydeh, KSM and many of the other principal 9/11 plotters were running CIA-assisted paramilitary operations against the Russians from bases in Sudan. Black has admitted in Congressional testimony that he had met bin Laden there at the time. You can draw your own conclusions about whether Black was UBL's control officer, but it has to at least be considered as a possibility.

After the East Asia Embassy bombings in 1998, Black was brought in from the field by CIA Director George Tenet to head the CIA Counter-Terrorism Center (CIA/CTC), along with a Tenet protege Richard Blee, with Rob Richer as another Deputy. In late December 1999, the NSA picked up a communication from Nawaf al-Hazmi through an AQ communications center run by al-Hazmi's uncle in Yemen. That communique indicated that a summit meeting of al-Qaeda figures was being convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the first two weeks of January, 2000. The CIA/CTC had ten days to prepare, and started surveillance, including videotape, of that meeting. According to the 9/11 Commission, both the 9/11 Planes Operation and the USS Cole attacks were planned there. CIA Director Tenet was briefed about that meeting. In the second week of January, al-Hazmi and his partner Khalid al-Midhar departed Kuala Lumpur in the company of "Khalad" bin-Atash, who headed bin Laden's personal security detail in Sudan.


COFER BLACK On January 15, 2000, al-Hazmi and al-Midhar entered the US at Los Angeles, and immediately met an air attache working under civilian cover (Dallah-AVCO Air Services) out of the Saudi Consulate in LA, who gave the pair funds from a Riggs Bank account and drove the pair to San Diego, installing them in a rental unit under the supervision of several figures, including a Iman who would end up at the center of another terrorist attack in 2009. The entry of the pair, who would go on to hijack AA Flt 77 that crashed into the Pentagon was noted at CTC, and a warning cable was drafted by the FBI liaison officer, but withheld at the direct order of the CTC Assn't Director, Richard Blee, Cofer Black's No. 2.

Black and Blee ran CTC during the next 20 months that the Flt. 77 hijackers were allowed to run free inside the US, taking flight training and meeting frequently with other 9/11 attack cell members. During that time, the FBI I-49 National Security Unit, under the command of John O'Neill -- which was charged with monitoring AQ inside the US, and had been frustrated in its investigation of the Cole attack - was kept in the dark. O'Neill resigned from the FBI shortly before 9/11, when he was killed during the collapse of the World Trade Center, where he had taken the job as head of security. In the summer of 2001, O'Neill and I-49 officers repeatedly clashed with Black and Blee over the CIA's refusal to turn over CIA files about the attack squads the FBI knew from other sources were plotting attacks inside the US. FBI warrants for electronic surveillance were withheld by ranking figures in Washington.

By July, it was clear what the targets of the hijackers were and the time-frame they would be hit. On the 10th, Tenet, Black, and Blee got into a CIA SUV, and visited National Security Advisor Condi Rice, and had a tense meeting with her about al-Qaeda. According to Tenet, she seemed to understand the threat, but was ambivalent in her response. Finally, in mid August, Tenet got on a CIA jet and visited President Bush in Crawford, where the President had been deposited for safe-keeping since returning in early July from Genoa, where ground-to-air missiles were installed to protect him from suspected al-Qaeda attack by aircraft. Tenet went on to perjure himself before the 9/11 Commission, falsely claiming he had had no communication with Bush during the 60 days before 9/11. In fact, records showed they had talked on at least a dozen occasions, including the face-to-face on either August 15 or 21, the latter date being the day the FBI finally got alerted and some of the details about the entry of al-Hazmi and al-Midhar 19 months earlier.

Black resigned from the CIA in April 2002, after interrogation of Abu Zubaydeh revealed the names of leading Saudi and Pakistani figures who had bankrolled the operation, and after the apparently willful failure of Jawbreaker, the CIA-run operation to capture bin Laden in Afghanistan the previous December. Apparently willful is the watchword for the Bush-Cheney management of this element of the CIA, which went on to run a division of Blackwater, and in the actions of these individuals in failing to prevent the 9/11 attacks and failure to capture top terrorist leaders thereafter.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

96. 11 septembre 2001 : les Français en savaient long

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/imprimer_element/0,40-0@2-3224,50-896448,0.html

LE MONDE | 16.04.07


Interesting article for translation.

Talks about Black denying knowledge of 9/11.
Sources of funding for 9/11. Intelligence/knowledge of 9/11 planning.
Meeting bin laden had in Afganistan.
Shared intel of hijacking plans - pre 9/11.

LIHOP at the very least.

[leveymg]

109. I translated and read the LeMonde article. Comments below.

Black is not mentioned. Two other ranking CIA Counterterrorism officers are: Mike Scheuer and Gary Berntsen.

Scheuer was ousted as head of the Bin Laden Virtual Station in Tysons Corners in 1998, and replaced by Tenet protege Rich Blee, under the command of Cofer Black, who was appointed overall Director of CIA/CTC at about the same time. So, its quite possible that Scheuer may not have been aware of the French Intel threat reports forwarded to CIA in 2000 and 2001.

Gary Berntsen was a 20-year veteran of the CIA Clandestine Service (formerly, DOO), but was not at HQ in the time that particular French reporting came in. He spent much of late 1999 and 2000 in Afghanistan, trying to track down and planning the capture of bin Laden, but claims he was frustrated in this by an overly risk-averse Clinton Administration. So, he also may not have been privy to the DGSE reporting on bin Laden's terrorist attack plans. He is the author of the first-hand expose, Jawbreaker, of how in December 2001, the Bush regime in Washington left the door open for Bin Laden's last line of retreat from Tora Bora. Along with Steve Coll's excellent Ghost Wars, this is a primary source for much of what is known about the failed CIA-led effort to capture bin Laden in Afghanistan during that period.

One thing of interest stood out is the French Intel report of the early-2000 meeting in Kabul at which the 9/11 attack was allegedly hashed out. I would think this may have occurred after the Kuala Lumpur meeting that straddled the New Year and into the second week of January. It is also possible that the reported date is off. It's an important detail, however, that needs to be resolved as it is believed that operational details were decided by those most directly involved in the attacks who met in Malaysia.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

111. of course, Scheuer

not Black. It had been a long time since I've read it. And the two of them look cloned, I'm just not sure who is/was the host.

Have you read Triple Cross or viewed timeline from the book by Peter Lance?

I got this from boilingfrogspost.com and it is very interesting: PDF
http://www.peterlance.com/Triple_Cross_PB_Timeline_2009.pdf

He did a 2 part article for Sibels site starting here:
http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2009/11/29/fort-hood-the-ksm-trial-part-i-what-do-these-terrorism-stories-have-in-common/#more-960

[L. Coyote]

78. WHITEWASH article by CIA! read instead: The Blackwater Charges: What's Being Alleged?

There is a word for this article: FALLBACK. Another is SPIN.
It is spinning the best possible scenario with the minimal plausible admissions!!

======================
The Blackwater Charges: What's Being Alleged?
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/the_blackwater_charges_whats_being_alleged.php


A series of shocking and lurid charges have been made against Erik Prince and Blackwater, the defense contracting behemoth he founded, in sworn statements filed in federal court Monday. Prince and or his company are variously accused of being motivated by an apocalyptic Christian worldview which glorified killing Muslims; of "encourag and reward the destruction of Iraqi life;" of illegally smuggling weapons into Iraq; of destroying incriminating evidence; of using child prostitutes; and even of murdering government informants.

The charges -- which come from a former Blackwater employee, and a former US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company -- appear to be largely unsubstantiated. Their existence was first reported by The Nation, and has since been covered by numerous blogs and a few mainstream outlets.

The allegations are made in sworn affidavits, given under penalty of perjury, that were filed in a federal court Monday, by human-rights lawyers suing Blackwater for alleged war crimes and other misconduct. A group of former Blackwater employees is awaiting trial on manslaughter charges for a 2007 shooting incident in a Baghdad square that left 17 Iraqis dead.

Some of the most serious of the new allegations, in more detail:

........... murder ................ destruction of evidence .... religious crusading ... prostitution .... weapons smuggling ...

========================
To these add using a cutout front to circumvent laws applicable to military and intelligence services.

L. Coyote Mon Oct-01-07
Is a Blackwater Cover-Up Underway? FBI and State involved.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1956319

[L. Coyote]

79. Inside the Sausage Factory: Blackwater Edition — By Daniel Schulman Aug. 6, 2009

Inside the Sausage Factory: Blackwater Edition
— By Daniel Schulman - Aug. 6, 2009 - http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/08/inside-sausage-factory-blackwater-edition


McClatchy's Mark Seibel and the News & Observer's Jay Price probably wish their email thread, discussing whether to cover the latest Blackwater allegations, didn't wind up splashed on the front page of Gawker, but I'm kinda glad it did. It offers a peek inside the sausage factory into the very real struggle reporters are having over whether—and how—to cover this story, which seems more like the plot of last season's 24 than a real-life crime drama. We're talking charges that Blackwater founder Erik Prince not only is out on a religious crusade to kill Muslims, but had informants whacked; allegations of child prostitution and gun-running; accusations of a wife-swapping and sex ring run out of the company's Moyock, North Carolina compound. Compared to this, allegations of tax evasion and money laundering seem downright tame.

These accusations were contained in the anonymous declarations of two ex-Blackwater employees, filed in connection with a series of civil suits brought on behalf of Iraqi civilians. .............

[ensho]

84. he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a school - like pedophiles are

the thought of him in a classroom is horrible

[jwirr]

95. IF for one minute the CIA thinks they got any information from this guy

that was of any value they need to think again. His hate for all things that do not fit in his world view makes his info totally biased and even subjective to the fault.

I would hope that one of the goals of the CIA would be to get as close to reality without bias as possible. That is the only kind of info that will ever help us to understand what is happening anywhere in the world.

Prince was so biased that he thought it was just fine to kill anyone who was not HIS religion. Someone needs to ask the CIA if this is the kind of agents it usually relies on. No wonder they have helped to get us into so much trouble.

[L. Coyote]

97. Think operations like assassinations, not intelligence.

And, think who is most suitable for assassination operations, etc. You nailed that one.

[jwirr]

100. Unfortunately he does make a great killer - once saved always saved

you know! No conscience.

[CJCRANE]

104. I think it probably had more to with

him being Cheney's choice.

[sattahipdeep]

110. Scahill also revealed a few interesting tidbits about

Eric Prince's decision to out himself as a CIA asset, saying, "I see this sort of as Eric Prince taking out an insurance policy for himself. ... Eric Prince is in the cross-hairs now of the Congress, the federal investigators, and others ... and it's a way of trying to insulate himself from future attacks."

http://rawstory.com/2009/12/scahill-us-military-in-pakistan/

Prince "confesses to feeling betrayed,"

“I don’t understand how a program this sensitive leaks,” he says. “And to ‘out’ me on top of it?”

Split Personality ” 9/11 WAS an inside job”

[Piewhacket]

99. Some of YOU PEOPLE seem to know too goddam much about this stuff....

Somehow that seems a little reassuring,

but still it bothers me that I have not the faintest
clue of a good reason to justify believing that just because
we understand stuff, all will be eventually turn out well.

Criminality seems to be irremediably embedded in human DNA.
Democracy was a supposed answer.
Corporatocracy was a response.

I'm reminded of Mad Magazine issues of my misspent youth.
Spy v. Spy. Their move. Our move.

So what's it going to be children? Their world, or our world.

[patrice]

103. THESE f-ers and their buddies are the ones who lead our troops into deep shit at Abu Ghraib.

[Javaman]

106. Why trade arms for money? right? Just subcontract mercs.

gotta love that CIA. Trying their best to be the modern Praetorian Guard.

Fuckers.

[quaker bill]

113. My goodness

the CIA inserting hit squads into foriegn countries, who could have imagined?

I believe this was the very nature of the "war on terror". The conventional military stuff was just for the gun camera footage on CNN to convince a bloodlusting public that we were in fact over there "blowing sh*t up". We had people in Iraq and Afghanistan doing this sort of stuff well before the "invasion".

[L. Coyote]

114. VIDEO: RM: Blackwater - Erik Prince - CIA assassins - Afghanistan

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x409975

Democracy Now VIDEO: Blackwater CIA Assassination Programs = August 20, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA4GxdAWTJU&feature=related

[L. Coyote]

115. VIDEO: Blackwater's Secret War In Pakistan

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x410009

========================
Blackwater's Secret War in Pakistan Revealed
By Jeremy Scahill, The Nation. Posted November 24, 2009.
http://www.alternet.org/story/144153/blackwater%27s_secret_war_in_pakistan_revealed/


An elite division of Blackwater plans targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. And everyone's denying it.

At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, "snatch and grabs" of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan, an investigation by The Nation has found. The Blackwater operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help run a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed source within the US military intelligence apparatus.

The source, who has worked on covert US military programs for years, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has direct knowledge of Blackwater's involvement. He spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity because the program is classified. The source said that the program is so "compartmentalized" that senior figures within the Obama administration and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its existence.

The White House did not return calls or email messages seeking comment .................

[L. Coyote]

116. Is Erik Prince 'Graymailing' the US Government?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7158581