a.k.a. the Republican WarParty.
In the past two weeks TUC Radio has posted two halves of a speech by Chris Hedges, on American Fascism (link), and I listened to the .mp3 yesterday. What he said about Blackwater was particularly chilling.
The Paul Krugman article, For God's Sake, posted on CommonDreams.org (link)reiterates what Hedges is saying, as does David Michael Green's article, Dark of Heartness (link).
Coincidentally, as I was reading responses to a story on Black (Extraordinary Rendition) Sites (link) posted at CommonDreams.org, this following posted comment about the criminal, fascist Bush administration caught my attention... The GOP leadership are "Deep Ecologists"!
It could explain a lot.
(While you're there, read the Scott Ritter article.)
It brought to mind a bumper sticker I saw in the parking lot of Michigan State University that I wish I'd had last fall. It read,
'Soylent Green is People
like Devos is Amway'
The 'survival of the fittest' mentality of the right wingnuttery sometimes makes me wonder why they hate Darwinianism so intensly, but then I remember... oh right, they are in the Wizard of Oz movie. The dutiful munchkins of the GOP flock hate evolution theory, so their satanic Rovian masters twist the propaganda to fit the scenario.
The flesh-eating zombie 30 percent of Americans polled who still back Bush, Cheney and the War Party resemble something out of the Night of the Living Dead.
Okay, I go on. Here's the post I mentioned...
Clark Kent April 17th, 2007 1:57 pm
In a sense they are the deepest of the “Deep Ecologists”. They look at the population explosion problem and, through their actions, imply that the best possible solution at this time is mass murder of Iraqis, New Orleans residents, poor people without health care, underprivileged people who join the U.S. armed services, people who breathe (polluted) air, eat (tainted) food or drink (polluted) water or use (toxic, but approved) chemicals.
Their means are military action, withholding of food, health care and emergency services and neglect (African AIDS being the most obvious example). In every case, the propaganda spin is to “make it look like an accident”.
Their criterion for deciding who should live and who should die is largely based on wealth– rich live, poor die, however there is also a racist component that cannot be ignored.
Obviously, such a program of mass death could not be undertaken in a real democracy, so it has been necessary for them to undermine democracy to achieve their goals.
We can fight them, of course, but until and unless we can show them that humanity is capable of limiting itself to a sustainable population, there will probably be a thriving and passionate group of people who hold their views.
This may seem overly cynical to some, but if you make your judgement based on their actions, not their words, it’s hard to find a better explanation of it all.
Showing posts with label DeVos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DeVos. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
More on Crony Contractor - Part 2
Renmember those old black and white movies when the Nazi were the bad guys? Them days are Gone, baby.
Blackwater brass forms intelligence company
By Bill Sizemore
The Virginian-Pilot
February 21, 2007
Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, announced Tuesday the formation of a new CIA-type private company to provide intelligence services to commercial clients.
The executive roster for the new venture, Total Intelligence Solutions, is loaded with veterans of U.S. intelligence agencies, including two other Blackwater officials.
A spokeswoman for Total Intelligence said there is no corporate affiliation with Blackwater, the Moyock, N.C.-based private military company, but the new firm clearly has a Blackwater stamp.
Among the key personnel and their positions at Total Intelligence, which will be based in Alexandria:
Black, chairman. He joined Blackwater two years ago after three decades in the CIA and State Department. He was director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center and the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, a job with ambassador rank.
Robert Richer, chief executive officer. He is vice president for intelligence at Blackwater and retired from the CIA in November 2005 as associate deputy director for operations.
Enrique "Ric" Prado, chief operating officer. He is vice president of special government programs at Blackwater and a 24-year veteran of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, including 10 years with the agency's paramilitary Special Operations Group. In his last overt job with the CIA, Prado worked under Black as chief of operations for the Counterterrorist Center.
Blackwater's primary specialties are tactical training and security, but it is no stranger to the intelligence world. The 10-year-old company's first security contract, awarded in 2002, was for a classified operation. In his book "Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror," author Robert Young Pelton identified the company's client as the CIA.
The concept of marketing intelligence services to commercial clients is not new, Pelton said Tuesday, but the new venture represents "a continuing evolution in what Blackwater's doing."
"Total Intel brings the intelligence gathering methodology and analytical skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the board room," Black said in a statement Tuesday. "With a service like this, CEOs and their security personnel will be able to respond to threats quickly and confidently - whether it's determining which city is safest to open a new plant in or working to keep employees out of harm's way after a terrorist attack."
The statement said the company will operate a "24/7 intelligence fusion and warning center" that will monitor civil unrest, terrorism, economic stability, environmental and health concerns, and information technology security around the world.
Among other top executives of the new company are:
Matthew Devost, president. He is an information security consultant and founding director of the Terrorism Research Center.
Caleb "Cal" Temple, senior vice president for intelligence and analysis. A former FBI intelligence specialist, he was most recently chief of the Office of Intelligence Operations in the Defense Intelligence Agency.
© 2007 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com
Blackwater brass forms intelligence company
By Bill Sizemore
The Virginian-Pilot
February 21, 2007
Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, announced Tuesday the formation of a new CIA-type private company to provide intelligence services to commercial clients.
The executive roster for the new venture, Total Intelligence Solutions, is loaded with veterans of U.S. intelligence agencies, including two other Blackwater officials.
A spokeswoman for Total Intelligence said there is no corporate affiliation with Blackwater, the Moyock, N.C.-based private military company, but the new firm clearly has a Blackwater stamp.
Among the key personnel and their positions at Total Intelligence, which will be based in Alexandria:
Black, chairman. He joined Blackwater two years ago after three decades in the CIA and State Department. He was director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center and the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, a job with ambassador rank.
Robert Richer, chief executive officer. He is vice president for intelligence at Blackwater and retired from the CIA in November 2005 as associate deputy director for operations.
Enrique "Ric" Prado, chief operating officer. He is vice president of special government programs at Blackwater and a 24-year veteran of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, including 10 years with the agency's paramilitary Special Operations Group. In his last overt job with the CIA, Prado worked under Black as chief of operations for the Counterterrorist Center.
Blackwater's primary specialties are tactical training and security, but it is no stranger to the intelligence world. The 10-year-old company's first security contract, awarded in 2002, was for a classified operation. In his book "Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror," author Robert Young Pelton identified the company's client as the CIA.
The concept of marketing intelligence services to commercial clients is not new, Pelton said Tuesday, but the new venture represents "a continuing evolution in what Blackwater's doing."
"Total Intel brings the intelligence gathering methodology and analytical skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the board room," Black said in a statement Tuesday. "With a service like this, CEOs and their security personnel will be able to respond to threats quickly and confidently - whether it's determining which city is safest to open a new plant in or working to keep employees out of harm's way after a terrorist attack."
The statement said the company will operate a "24/7 intelligence fusion and warning center" that will monitor civil unrest, terrorism, economic stability, environmental and health concerns, and information technology security around the world.
Among other top executives of the new company are:
Matthew Devost, president. He is an information security consultant and founding director of the Terrorism Research Center.
Caleb "Cal" Temple, senior vice president for intelligence and analysis. A former FBI intelligence specialist, he was most recently chief of the Office of Intelligence Operations in the Defense Intelligence Agency.
© 2007 HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com
Thursday, February 22, 2007
More on Crony Contractor
Dick DeVos' brother-in-law, Eric Prince.
Blackwater Represents the Privatization of Our Military, Accountable to No One.
Bush Has Created a Mercenary Army.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
(Hardcover)
By Jeremy Scahill
BuzzFlash.com's Review
(excerpt) From Nation Books:
Meet Blackwater USA, the powerful private army that the U.S. government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil. Its contacts run from deep inside the military and intelligence agencies to the upper echelons of the White House. Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the “global war on terror,” with its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and 20,000 soldiers at the ready.
Run by a multimillionaire Christian conservative who bankrolls President Bush and his allies, its forces are capable of overthrowing governments, and yet most people have never heard of Blackwater.
Blackwater is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to rooftop firefights in Najaf to the hurricane-ravaged US gulf to Washington DC, where Blackwater executives are hailed as new heroes in the war on terror. This is an extraordinary exposé by one of America's most exciting young radical journalists.
“Jeremy Scahill’s exposé of the Blackwater mercenary firm forcefully demonstrates the grave dangers of outsourcing the government’s monopoly on the use of force.” --Joseph Wilson, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
“Jeremy Scahill skillfully chronicles the birth of America's frightening Praetorian Guard, one that has been unleashed--25,000-strong--in Iraq. These hired guns, with their black uniforms and automatic weapons, appeared on the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. They operate, at home and abroad, beyond the bounds of legal constraints and are controlled by secretive puppet masters, such as Erik Prince, who have close ties to the radical Christian Right. Should our nation enter a period of instability following another terrorist attack on American soil, an economic collapse or a series of environmental disasters the tyranny that groups such as Blackwater impose on others could become the tyranny they impose on us. The rise of this unchecked mercenary force, as Scahill understands, could presage the final stage in the collapse of American democracy.” --Chris Hedges, former New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief
“If the Republicans lose in 2008, they will leave office armed and dangerous. Blackwater is the utterly gripping and explosive story of how the Bush Administration has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars building a parallel corporate army, an army so loyal to far right causes it constitutes nothing less than a Republican Guard. The most important and chilling book about the death throes of U.S. democracy you will read in years and a triumph of investigative reporting.” --Naomi Klein, author No Logo
"Of all the insane Bush privatization efforts, none is more frightening than the corporatizing of military combat forces. Jeremy Scahill admirably exposes a devastating example of this sinister scheme."--Michael Moore, Academy Award Winning Director
This engrossing investigative piece exposing, in shocking detail, a U.S. government-outsourced Frankenstein replete with helicopter gun ships may leave you incredulous. But you better believe it, for it poses a grave and gathering danger to the future of our Republic."--Ray McGovern, CIA veteran and former intelligence briefer for George H. W. Bush
“In this terrifying and thrillingly written book, Jeremy Scahill introduces us to the shape of things to come, and to the kind of people and corporations who are likely to govern our lives if we don't do something about it pretty quickly.” --Arundhati Roy, author The God of Small Things
“Jeremy Scahill's comprehensive research and reporting lifts the veil off the ever-tightening relationship between the federal government and unaccountable private military corporations such as Blackwater USA. . . .” --U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Read The Full Review >>>http://www.buzzflash.com/store/reviews/524
Blackwater Represents the Privatization of Our Military, Accountable to No One.
Bush Has Created a Mercenary Army.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
(Hardcover)
By Jeremy Scahill
BuzzFlash.com's Review
(excerpt) From Nation Books:
Meet Blackwater USA, the powerful private army that the U.S. government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil. Its contacts run from deep inside the military and intelligence agencies to the upper echelons of the White House. Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the “global war on terror,” with its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and 20,000 soldiers at the ready.
Run by a multimillionaire Christian conservative who bankrolls President Bush and his allies, its forces are capable of overthrowing governments, and yet most people have never heard of Blackwater.
Blackwater is the dark story of the rise of a powerful mercenary army, ranging from the blood-soaked streets of Fallujah to rooftop firefights in Najaf to the hurricane-ravaged US gulf to Washington DC, where Blackwater executives are hailed as new heroes in the war on terror. This is an extraordinary exposé by one of America's most exciting young radical journalists.
“Jeremy Scahill’s exposé of the Blackwater mercenary firm forcefully demonstrates the grave dangers of outsourcing the government’s monopoly on the use of force.” --Joseph Wilson, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
“Jeremy Scahill skillfully chronicles the birth of America's frightening Praetorian Guard, one that has been unleashed--25,000-strong--in Iraq. These hired guns, with their black uniforms and automatic weapons, appeared on the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. They operate, at home and abroad, beyond the bounds of legal constraints and are controlled by secretive puppet masters, such as Erik Prince, who have close ties to the radical Christian Right. Should our nation enter a period of instability following another terrorist attack on American soil, an economic collapse or a series of environmental disasters the tyranny that groups such as Blackwater impose on others could become the tyranny they impose on us. The rise of this unchecked mercenary force, as Scahill understands, could presage the final stage in the collapse of American democracy.” --Chris Hedges, former New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief
“If the Republicans lose in 2008, they will leave office armed and dangerous. Blackwater is the utterly gripping and explosive story of how the Bush Administration has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars building a parallel corporate army, an army so loyal to far right causes it constitutes nothing less than a Republican Guard. The most important and chilling book about the death throes of U.S. democracy you will read in years and a triumph of investigative reporting.” --Naomi Klein, author No Logo
"Of all the insane Bush privatization efforts, none is more frightening than the corporatizing of military combat forces. Jeremy Scahill admirably exposes a devastating example of this sinister scheme."--Michael Moore, Academy Award Winning Director
This engrossing investigative piece exposing, in shocking detail, a U.S. government-outsourced Frankenstein replete with helicopter gun ships may leave you incredulous. But you better believe it, for it poses a grave and gathering danger to the future of our Republic."--Ray McGovern, CIA veteran and former intelligence briefer for George H. W. Bush
“In this terrifying and thrillingly written book, Jeremy Scahill introduces us to the shape of things to come, and to the kind of people and corporations who are likely to govern our lives if we don't do something about it pretty quickly.” --Arundhati Roy, author The God of Small Things
“Jeremy Scahill's comprehensive research and reporting lifts the veil off the ever-tightening relationship between the federal government and unaccountable private military corporations such as Blackwater USA. . . .” --U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Read The Full Review >>>http://www.buzzflash.com/store/reviews/524
Thursday, February 08, 2007
crony military contractor has six degrees of separation from Michigan
Anyone who hasn't heard the mothers of hirelings of military contractors killed in Iraq had a chance today to hear their testimony before Congress.
How their sons were under equipped and left in harm's way. How does this jibe with no bid and cost plus? PROFIT is JOB ONE!
(Jebsus would be Soo Proud of his little Christian Coalition military profiteers.)
Remember the vision of the burned dragged corpses hanging from the bridge?
Those mothers saw those images too.
Blackwater has a particular reputation that we should note. But Blackwater doesn't only contract in Iraq.
Remember N.O. LA after Katrina? The stadium, the guarded bridges out, the shooting at black "looters" (as opposed to white survivors) carrying loaves of old bread from flooded stores? Blackwater had that lucrative FEMA security contract.
And now Blackwater is contracting outsourcing "police" work in these United States as public police agencies are downsized underfunded and squeezed by Reaganomic politics.
Blackwater should also be of special interest to Michiganders who just voted down Dick DeVos' bid for governorship in 2006, a message in times when the downsizing of Michigan's manufacturing base has caused a crisis.
And Dick sunk a personal fortune into one of the richest races in history for any governorship.
Well, you ask, what is Blackwater's relationship to Michigan? Dick DeVos' wife Betsy, who once ran the Republican Party in Michigan, is Betsy Prince DeVos, her brother Eric Prince is the founder and CEO of Blackwater.
NOTE: I live by coincidence... I just Googled "CEO Eric Prince" to verify my memory, and right on top was this:
Erik Prince, Blackwater War Profiteer, Attacks Iraq for Sale
By Robert Greenwald on the Huffington Post
"Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" tells the story of Erik Prince and Blackwater, and their consistent profiting from the war. As the film is seen across the United States, it is having a powerful effect on audiences. People are responding strongly to the emotional and gut wrenching story of Prince choosing profit over patriotism as he cuts corners at Blackwater in his relentless pursuit of money.
The film tells the story of two young men who are killed as a result of Blackwater focusing on profits, and their grieving and enraged mothers. These mothers are taking the fight to Blackwater and when they see the film, audiences are also activated to take steps to stop Blackwater.
Sadly, rather than working to help and heal the mothers who have suffered this loss, Prince and his profiteering co-horts, have gone into attack mode. And in this case, ironically so with a company who sent out an email after the '04 election saying, "Bush Wins Four More Years!! Hooyah!" attacking Iraq for Sale for being "election year left wing politics."
This from the man who after interning in the Bush Sr. Whitehouse said, "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." This from a man whose car says "Bush: "Let's Roll" Kerry: "Let's Roll Over." This from a man who, together with his family have given over 2 million dollars to Republican candidates and use their political access to protect Blackwater from scrutiny.
We at Brave New Films are proud to be helping raise the issue of profiteering as the election approaches; it should be an issue we judge our candidates by. Are they protecting us? Are they protecting our tax dollars? The fact that Prince has hired a disrespected PR flack, Mark Corallo, whose claim to fame was defending the disgraced Bob Livingston for cheating on his wife, speaks to the issue of Prince's morality.
Profiteering during a time of war is indeed a serious and important issue. I invite Erik Prince to see the film, to meet with our researchers and to have a full and open discussion about the way he is profiteering.
And for those who would like to see the Prince story and the mansion, purchased from his profiteering, check out this video...
How their sons were under equipped and left in harm's way. How does this jibe with no bid and cost plus? PROFIT is JOB ONE!
(Jebsus would be Soo Proud of his little Christian Coalition military profiteers.)
Remember the vision of the burned dragged corpses hanging from the bridge?
Those mothers saw those images too.
Blackwater has a particular reputation that we should note. But Blackwater doesn't only contract in Iraq.
Remember N.O. LA after Katrina? The stadium, the guarded bridges out, the shooting at black "looters" (as opposed to white survivors) carrying loaves of old bread from flooded stores? Blackwater had that lucrative FEMA security contract.
And now Blackwater is contracting outsourcing "police" work in these United States as public police agencies are downsized underfunded and squeezed by Reaganomic politics.
Blackwater should also be of special interest to Michiganders who just voted down Dick DeVos' bid for governorship in 2006, a message in times when the downsizing of Michigan's manufacturing base has caused a crisis.
And Dick sunk a personal fortune into one of the richest races in history for any governorship.
Well, you ask, what is Blackwater's relationship to Michigan? Dick DeVos' wife Betsy, who once ran the Republican Party in Michigan, is Betsy Prince DeVos, her brother Eric Prince is the founder and CEO of Blackwater.
NOTE: I live by coincidence... I just Googled "CEO Eric Prince" to verify my memory, and right on top was this:
Erik Prince, Blackwater War Profiteer, Attacks Iraq for Sale
By Robert Greenwald on the Huffington Post
"Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers" tells the story of Erik Prince and Blackwater, and their consistent profiting from the war. As the film is seen across the United States, it is having a powerful effect on audiences. People are responding strongly to the emotional and gut wrenching story of Prince choosing profit over patriotism as he cuts corners at Blackwater in his relentless pursuit of money.
The film tells the story of two young men who are killed as a result of Blackwater focusing on profits, and their grieving and enraged mothers. These mothers are taking the fight to Blackwater and when they see the film, audiences are also activated to take steps to stop Blackwater.
Sadly, rather than working to help and heal the mothers who have suffered this loss, Prince and his profiteering co-horts, have gone into attack mode. And in this case, ironically so with a company who sent out an email after the '04 election saying, "Bush Wins Four More Years!! Hooyah!" attacking Iraq for Sale for being "election year left wing politics."
This from the man who after interning in the Bush Sr. Whitehouse said, "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." This from a man whose car says "Bush: "Let's Roll" Kerry: "Let's Roll Over." This from a man who, together with his family have given over 2 million dollars to Republican candidates and use their political access to protect Blackwater from scrutiny.
We at Brave New Films are proud to be helping raise the issue of profiteering as the election approaches; it should be an issue we judge our candidates by. Are they protecting us? Are they protecting our tax dollars? The fact that Prince has hired a disrespected PR flack, Mark Corallo, whose claim to fame was defending the disgraced Bob Livingston for cheating on his wife, speaks to the issue of Prince's morality.
Profiteering during a time of war is indeed a serious and important issue. I invite Erik Prince to see the film, to meet with our researchers and to have a full and open discussion about the way he is profiteering.
And for those who would like to see the Prince story and the mansion, purchased from his profiteering, check out this video...
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