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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 8:41 am Post subject: Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder |
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Very serious allegations.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/scahill
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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 for alleged war crimes and other misconduct. Susan Burke, a private attorney working in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights, is suing Blackwater in five separate civil cases filed in the Washington, DC, area. They were recently consolidated before Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia for pretrial motions. Burke filed the August 3 motion in response to Blackwater's motion to dismiss the case. Blackwater asserts that Prince and the company are innocent of any wrongdoing and that they were professionally performing their duties on behalf of their employer, the US State Department.
The former employee, identified in the court documents as "John Doe #2," is a former member of Blackwater's management team, according to a source close to the case. Doe #2 alleges in a sworn declaration that, based on information provided to him by former colleagues, "it appears that Mr. Prince and his employees murdered, or had murdered, one or more persons who have provided information, or who were planning to provide information, to the federal authorities about the ongoing criminal conduct." John Doe #2 says he worked at Blackwater for four years; his identity is concealed in the sworn declaration because he "fear[s] violence against me in retaliation for submitting this Declaration." He also alleges, "On several occasions after my departure from Mr. Prince's employ, Mr. Prince's management has personally threatened me with death and violence."
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.
"Mr. Prince feared, and continues to fear, that the federal authorities will detect and prosecute his various criminal deeds," states Doe #2. "On more than one occasion, Mr. Prince and his top managers gave orders to destroy emails and other documents. Many incriminating videotapes, documents and emails have been shredded and destroyed." |
The whole article is worth a read. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:46 am Post subject: |
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The two declarations are each five pages long and contain a series of devastating allegations concerning Erik Prince and his network of companies, which now operate under the banner of Xe Services LLC. Among those leveled by Doe #2 is that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe":
To that end, Mr. Prince intentionally deployed to Iraq certain men who shared his vision of Christian supremacy, knowing and wanting these men to take every available opportunity to murder Iraqis. Many of these men used call signs based on the Knights of the Templar, the warriors who fought the Crusades. |
The late, lamented poster igothisguitar would have a lot of fun with that one.
Though it does strike me as a little odd that Christian fundamentalists would identify so closely with the Templars, since these days they tend to be identified with the freemasonry and the occult, no? I guess these Blackwater guys might have been latching onto the whole Christians Fighting In The Holy Land motif, rather than the latter-day revisionism. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| The late, lamented poster igothisguitar would have a lot of fun with that one. |
  
He (or she?) was an emoticon master.
I believe Blackwater moved itself offshore, no? |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| I believe Blackwater moved itself offshore, no? |
That rings a vague bell. But what angle are you playing with that? Are you saying they could have legel immunity, or...? |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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He (or she?) was an emoticon master. |
Yeah, and that light-bulb, along with the glaring demon, was his consistent favorite. (I've always assumed IGTG was male, something about the conspiracy-theory thing has always struck me as a very masculine pursuit, not sure why.) |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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According to Wikipedia, the company is headquartered in Moyock, North Carolina. But they've changed their name to Xe Services LLC.
link |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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| On the other hand wrote: |
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| I believe Blackwater moved itself offshore, no? |
That rings a vague bell. But what angle are you playing with that? Are you saying they could have legel immunity, or...? |
I don't have a sufficient understanding of American (or any) law to know anything at all about legal immunity etc. Moving offshore for any corporation is a way to distance it from unfriendly tax/regulatory policies. I'm wondering what exactly Blackwater is running from.
Wiki says:
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Greystone Limited
A private security service, Greystone is registered in Barbados, and employs third country nationals for offshore security work through its affiliate Satelles Solutions, Inc.[70] Their web site advertises their ability to provide "personnel from the best militaries throughout the world" for worldwide deployment. Tasks can be from very small scale up major operations to "facilitate large scale stability operations requiring large numbers of people to assist in securing a region". [70]
Greystone had planned to open a training facility on the grounds of the Subic Bay U.S. Naval Base, but those plans were later abandoned.[71] |
Greystone is a subsidiary of Blackwater. The parent firm is apparently still based in NC. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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This is a bizarre story, for sure. I've objected all along to the whole concept of private mercenary armies. They can't possibly be good for a country. At what point does the hired gun decide he should be the one making the laws of the country that wouldn't increase its official military to conduct its military affairs. Its playing with fire.
Anyway, this thing sounds weird. John Doe #1 & #2...but then it's been announced one of them worked for 4 years in management and has been threatened since he quit. Just how hard can it be for Blackwater to check back in its employment files to locate the identity of that person. There can't be all that many people who fit the description...especiallially the 'threatened' part.
It's that 'small government philosophy' married to an aggressive foreign policy gone mad. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:16 am Post subject: |
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Child prostitution:
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New disturbing charges have emerged against XE, the infamous private security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, whose operations came under spotlight after its 2007 carnage in Baghdad.
According to a report by MSNBC and based on alleged sworn declarations by two Blackwater employees in federal court, the firm used child prostitutes at its compound in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
The declarations added Iraqi minors got involve in sexual acts with Blackwater members in exchange for one dollar and Erik Prince, the firm's owner, "failed to stop the ongoing use of prostitutes, including child prostitutes, by his men."
Based on other statements, the firm was involved in another sex scandal; "Prince's North Carolina operations had an ongoing wife-swapping and sex ring, which was participated in by many of Mr. Prince's top executives."
The two employees also alleged that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," The Nation reported.
Prince also allegedly forced health professional to endorse the redeployment of those Blackwater members who had been mental problems, such as excessive drinking and drug abuse.
Other charges against the firm include arms smuggling, money laundering and tax evasion.
The criminal activities of the firm first came under scrutiny after a group of the firm's members who were tasked to guard US diplomats in Iraq opened fire on civilians in Baghdad on September 2007, killing 17 people.
According to federal contract data obtained by The Nation, the Obama administration has recently extended a contract with Blackwater for more than $20 million for "security services" in Iraq. |
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=102887§ionid=3510203
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/02/report-state-dept-extends-blackwater-contract-in-iraq/
Pretty disgusting stuff if true.
Scahill on Real Time talks about the prostitution etc. All we know about Blackwater/XE is from him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g940CT61-sw |
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| That's pretty amazing. Erik Prince tries to stay as reclusive as possible, as in away from the spot light and media. But what we do know about him is that is a true blue fundamentalist Jesus warrior. One would think that such a person would not be involved with wife swapping or child prostitution. Then again, stranger things have happened, I suppose. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| But what we do know about him is that is a true blue fundamentalist Jesus warrior. One would think that such a person would not be involved with wife swapping or child prostitution. Then again, stranger things have happened, I suppose. |
Christian fundamentalists have an odd sort of inconsistency when it comes to things military, and not just in terms of their unchristian exaltation of violence(since that sort of fits into the fundamentalist mindset). What I mean is that these are the guys who go on extended tirades against gay marriage and condoms in the school, but then they turn around and idolize the military subculture, which, as we all know, does not always quite live up to ideals the ideals of Judeo-Christian morality.
I mean, it's one thing for a cold-hearted realist to say "Well look, we need an army, and if they can't ****, they won't fight". But the Christian fundamentalist types talk about the military as if it's some sort of bastion of unadulterated moral purity, floating high above the heads of the decadent, porn-surfing hoi poloi. When in fact, from everything I've heard, soldiers are at least as likely to indulge in low-brow carnality as anyone else. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:38 am Post subject: |
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| Pluto wrote: |
| That's pretty amazing. Erik Prince tries to stay as reclusive as possible, as in away from the spot light and media. But what we do know about him is that is a true blue fundamentalist Jesus warrior. One would think that such a person would not be involved with wife swapping or child prostitution. Then again, stranger things have happened, I suppose. |
Huh? Never heard about all the televangelists involved in sex and adultery scandals? Nor the Catholic priest sex scandals of just a few years ago? |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| This is a bizarre story, for sure. I've objected all along to the whole concept of private mercenary armies. They can't possibly be good for a country. |
I agree. Shutdown Blackwater today. |
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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| On the other hand wrote: |
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| But what we do know about him is that is a true blue fundamentalist Jesus warrior. One would think that such a person would not be involved with wife swapping or child prostitution. Then again, stranger things have happened, I suppose. |
Christian fundamentalists have an odd sort of inconsistency when it comes to things military, and not just in terms of their unchristian exaltation of violence(since that sort of fits into the fundamentalist mindset). What I mean is that these are the guys who go on extended tirades against gay marriage and condoms in the school, but then they turn around and idolize the military subculture, which, as we all know, does not always quite live up to ideals the ideals of Judeo-Christian morality.
I mean, it's one thing for a cold-hearted realist to say "Well look, we need an army, and if they can't ****, they won't fight". But the Christian fundamentalist types talk about the military as if it's some sort of bastion of unadulterated moral purity, floating high above the heads of the decadent, porn-surfing hoi poloi. When in fact, from everything I've heard, soldiers are at least as likely to indulge in low-brow carnality as anyone else. |
Well, soldiers are human beings, I can certainly attest to that. So are Marines. Why we pay a mercenary army to the job of Marines is beyond me. Especially when said detail could be preformed more efficiently by people, Marines, who are serious, more professional and more disciplined (chain of command, UCMJ ect.).
Marine Security Detail |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Why we pay a mercenary army to the job of Marines is beyond me. |
Obviously for the same reason as France has the Foreign Legion! |
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