DUmbasses Hate Blackwater

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Hissyspit  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-03-10 11:25 PM
Original message
EXCLUSIVE - Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed: Geneva Conv'ns Don't Apply With 'Barbarians' 
 Edited on Mon May-03-10 11:40 PM by Hissyspit
http://rebelreports.com/post/569103736/secret-erik-prin...

Secret Erik Prince/Blackwater Tape Exposed

The reclusive Blackwater founder tries to ban journalists and recorders from his speeches in front of friendly audiences. This time he failed.

By Jeremy Scahill

(Note: This post, written for TheNation.com, will be posted on The Nation magazine’s homepage soon as part of the launch of a new blog. I am posting it here until the site is fully functional because of the timely nature of the story. Please check The Nation site for exciting developments.)

Erik Prince, the reclusive owner of the Blackwater empire, rarely gives public speeches and when he does he attempts to ban journalists from attending and forbids recording or videotaping of his remarks. On May 5, that is exactly what Prince is trying to do when he speaks at DeVos Fieldhouse as the keynote speaker for the “Tulip Time Festival” in his hometown of Holland, Michigan. He told the event’s organizers no news reporting could be done on his speech and they consented to the ban. Journalists and media associations in Michigan are protesting this attempt to bar reporting on his remarks.

Despite Prince’s attempts to shield his speeches from public scrutiny, The Nation magazine has obtained an audio recording of a recent, private speech delivered by Prince to a friendly audience. The speech, which Prince attempted to keep from public consumption, provides a stunning glimpse into his views and future plans and reveals details of previously undisclosed activities of Blackwater. The people of the United States have a right to media coverage of events featuring the owner of a company that generates 90% of its revenue from the United States government.

In the speech, Prince proposed that the US government deploy armed private contractors to fight “terrorists” in Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, specifically to target Iranian influence. He expressed disdain for the Geneva Convention and described Blackwater’s secretive operations at four Forward Operating Bases he controls in Afghanistan. He called those fighting the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan “barbarians” who “crawled out of the sewer.” Prince also revealed details of a July 2009 operation he claims Blackwater forces coordinated in Afghanistan to take down a narcotrafficking facility, saying that Blackwater “call(ed) in multiple air strikes,” blowing up the facility. Prince boasted that his forces had carried out the “largest hashish bust in counter-narcotics history.” He characterized the work of some NATO countries’ forces in Afghanistan as ineffectual, suggesting that some coalition nations “should just pack it in and go home.” Prince spoke of Blackwater working in Pakistan, which appears to contradict the official, public Blackwater and US government line that Blackwater is not in Pakistan.

Prince also claimed that a Blackwater operative took down the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W Bush in Baghdad and criticized the Secret Service for being “flat-footed.” He bragged that Blackwater forces “beat the Louisiana National Guard to the scene” during Katrina and claimed that lawsuits, “tens of millions of dollars in lawyer bills” and political attacks prevented him from deploying a humanitarian ship that could have responded to the earthquake in Haiti or the tsunami that hit Indonesia.

Several times during the speech, Prince appeared to demean Afghans his company is training in Afghanistan, saying Blackwater had to teach them “Intro to Toilet Use” and to do jumping jacks. At the same time, he bragged that US generals told him the Afghans Blackwater trains “are the most effective fighting force in Afghanistan.” Prince also revealed that he is writing a book, scheduled to be released this fall.

The speech was delivered January 14 at the University of Michigan in front of an audience of entrepreneurs, ROTC commanders and cadets, businesspeople and military veterans. The speech was titled “Overcoming Adversity: Leadership at the Tip of the Spear” and was sponsored by the Young Presidents’ Association (YPO), a business networking association primarily made up of corporate executives.
 

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8267457

Maybe it's just me but I'm not seeing a problem with any of this.

[crockspot]

Heh, I've seen video of those guys trying to do jumping jacks, and they deserve to be ridiculed.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Heh, I've seen video of those guys trying to do jumping jacks, and they deserve to be ridiculed.

Me too and you're absolutely correct.

Some more from the thread:

RandomThoughts  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-03-10 11:34 PM
Response to Original message
5. Here is a question.
 If they are paid by tax dollars, shouldn't they be part of the US military.

Why have a military that is private sector? So they are not bound by military rules?

The point is, what is the argument to having mercenaries, if they are paid much better, that money still comes from tax dollars so it could be used to pay their mercenaries as US soldiers.

So why is it private sector? Because they believe the private sector is better, it is ideology.

Also they have an intelligence division, which really brings up questions of how many things they could be doing illegal hired by the dollar, or to defend their ideology of the dollar.

I would guess he is a true believer, and actually himself does not worry about money, except that it can be used to hire people to do what they are told, not based on a societies set of rules. Money is a strict hierarchy, it does not have moral dilemma or other considerations.

That is my biggest objection to mercenary armies.

I would guess some of the more nefarious things done by private sector in the political enviroment with propaganda they could have a hand in also. It would only make sense. If they have intelligence, they naturally would be in PR, I wonder if they work with any other right wing organizations.

Writs of marque and reprisal

Google it.

tularetom  (1000+ posts)        Mon May-03-10 11:56 PM
Response to Original message
8. This doofus actually thinks there was a "convention" in Geneva
 and he has the balls to accuse pepole in Iraq of being "barbarians". I'd guess a lot of Iraqis understand the meaning of the word convention.

Piece o' shit, he is.

No, ass-crumb, he said the people FIGHTING THE US in Iraq were barbarians.

Although, I'm sure to your Bill Ayers admiring ass they are heroes of the internationalist order.

leveymg (1000+ posts)        Tue May-04-10 12:17 PM
Response to Original message
11. How dare Erik Prince pretend to be outraged. Blackwater execs were responsible for letting the 9/11
 Edited on Tue May-04-10 12:40 PM by leveymg
hijackers into the U.S. and letting bin Laden escape from Tora Bora, when they worked at CIA Counter-Terrorism Center (CIA/CTC).

...

And it's downhill from there.

dotymed  (1000+ posts)        Tue May-04-10 06:24 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. 9-11  
 went exactly as planned...

First time in government history.

[BlueStateSaint]

Maybe it's just me but I'm not seeing a problem with any of this.

I don't see a problem with it, either.

[The Village Idiot]

Actually I remember reading an article in the Dallas Mourning Snooze about US companies that grow produce in Mexico. They had to TEACH the farm workers not to piss and poop in the fields, which would contaminate crops, but to use the provided port a potties. Many of them had never used an actual toilet.

[thundley4]

What's the big deal?  Terrorists that are not in uniform, and fighting under a nations flag are covered by the Geneva Convention.  Or was I taught wrong?

[Lord Undies]

What's the big deal?  Terrorists that are not in uniform, and fighting under a nations flag are covered by the Geneva Convention.  Or was I taught wrong?

Yeah, but that doesn't tie our hands.

[DumbAss Tanker]

In the speech, Prince proposed that the US government deploy armed private contractors to fight “terrorists” in Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, specifically to target Iranian influence. He expressed disdain for the Geneva Convention and described Blackwater’s secretive operations at four Forward Operating Bases he controls in Afghanistan. He called those fighting the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan “barbarians” who “crawled out of the sewer.” Prince also revealed details of a July 2009 operation he claims Blackwater forces coordinated in Afghanistan to take down a narcotrafficking facility, saying that Blackwater “call(ed) in multiple air strikes,” blowing up the facility. Prince boasted that his forces had carried out the “largest hashish bust in counter-narcotics history.” He characterized the work of some NATO countries’ forces in Afghanistan as ineffectual, suggesting that some coalition nations “should just pack it in and go home.” Prince spoke of Blackwater working in Pakistan, which appears to contradict the official, public Blackwater and US government line that Blackwater is not in Pakistan.

All sounds pretty accurate, actually.  Just a slight flavoring of hyperbole, but it's hard to say if that was in the original or added for effect by the Lefties.

[Wineslob]

DUmmies, thats why they are called Turd World Nations. Get with the program.

[NHSparky]

Actually I remember reading an article in the Dallas Mourning Snooze about US companies that grow produce in Mexico. They had to TEACH the farm workers not to piss and poop in the fields, which would contaminate crops, but to use the provided port a potties. Many of them had never used an actual toilet.

Too bad they haven't taught the folks up here that yet--remember the whole spinach bit a year or two back?

[thundley4]

Too bad they haven't taught the folks up here that yet--remember the whole spinach bit a year or two back?

But that was the fault of the giant evil rethuglican corporations. Just ask any DUmmie.

[delilahmused]

You'd think they'd like anything by a band called "The Doobie Brothers"
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqZ95a249p0[/youtube]