In an explosive report published yesterday on the Nation website, investigative reporter JEREMY SCAHILL reveals that Blackwater founder Erik Prince has been implicated in murder, viewed himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims from the globe, and that the company smuggled weapons into Iraq. Will he face charges?
Then, Dr. David Scheiner, Rep. Anthony Weiner, and Bob Fertik on whether single payer stands a chance and what can be done in August. Finally, we'll be joined by Bernie Sanders and Karen Finney on healthcare reform and Washington politics.
You can read Scahill’s story here:
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.”
By GRITtv on August 5th, 2009 at 10:05 am
You can find the declarations here and here.
By GRITtv on August 5th, 2009 at 10:12 am
And with what country was Mr. Prince’s company contracted to perform its services? And who would have footed the bill for those services?
If the answer to the latter question is you and me, we might reserve the right to be upset.
By ghostof911 on August 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Sickening although sadly less surprising than it should be after the last eight years. I cannot believe our tax dollars were spent to fund a barely-below-the-surface vendetta against a religion. Its no wonder Muslims are pissed at the U.S. Gov’t.
And-you cannot tell me his beliefs weren’t part of the reason he was hired. The neocons knew exactly who and what they were hiring and gave them immunity to do it.
I’m finding it really hard to continue to be a U.S. citizen at this moment.
By ChuckinDenton on August 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
the crusade bit is shocking but not unexpected. We knew that’s what the General Boykin’s of the world were pushing for and we’ve known for years that just this kind of nonsense had a sympathetic ear or two in the WH. What I find a lot more interesting here is the assassinating-whistle-blowers/murder-for-hire and organized arms smuggling charges. If any of these charges had legs, couldn’t all of Blackwater be designated a racketeering influenced corrupt organization and simply seized and shut down?
By Blub on August 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
How long until we find out Mr. Prince is a memeber in good-standing of The Family?
By Watt4Bob on August 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Remember that the Prince family was also instrumental in funding Prop 8… I believe that his mom was the single biggest out of state individual doner.
By Blub on August 5th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I would thoroughly enjoy seeing Erik Prince in the dock. Maybe he can get his sister to kick in some Amway money to help pay for his defense.
By ShotoJamf on August 5th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
by the way, what kind of corporate human resources policy is bumping off your own execs for suspected lack of zeal and loyalty??? boy, people’ll be clamoring to work for that company: ‘This is an announcement from your CEO. Executions will continue until morale improves. Specifically, staff is reminded that non-compliance with your confidentiality agreements will result in immediate summary execution. Please remember to get your timesheets and expense reports in on time, and we look forward to seeing you at the softgame game Sunday. External press inquiries are to be directly to our Burkino Faso office. Thank for your attention.”
By Blub on August 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Considering he’s part of the Amway clan, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.
By Phoenix Woman on August 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
The Devoss Family
http://www.mediamouse.org/reso…..personId=8
By mack on August 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
PW is on it as usual
By mack on August 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I sincerely pray that the entire story of Amway,the Prince family, Blackwater, the Christian Right and all the actions of these hating murdering people is revealed so that our society can recover. What we have done (and sadly continue to do)in Iraq and Afghanistan can never be repaid but we could start by destroying that so-called embassy in the middle of Iraq and start to rebuild the country. We could have the entire Bush administration up on charges of crimes against humanity. We could drive out the corporate bosses, some who are violent Christians, who make sure that the majority of Americans never get the news that they need. Was it these violent Christians who initiated the corporate take over of the media so that the only news available now is through the internet?
By clymela on August 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
‘assassinating-whistle-blowers/murder-for-hire and organized arms smuggling charges. If any of these charges had legs, couldn’t all of Blackwater be designated a racketeering influenced corrupt organization and simply seized and shut down?
Bet they know some of the same people.
(H/t MadDog
)
‘In May 2001, CIA officer Franz Boening submitted a memorandum to the Agency Inspector General alleging that the CIA’s relationship with disgraced Peruvian intelligence official Vladimiro Lenin Montesinos may have involved violations of U.S. law.’
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrec….._memo.html
Vladimiro Lenin Montesinos, interesting chap.
‘Montesinos was a Peruvian politician. Montesinos was born in Arequipa. His parents were fervent communists who named him after Lenin. In 1965, as a military cadet, he studied at the US Army’s School of the Americas.
In the early 1970s, during the leftist Military Government of General Juan Velasco, Montesinos became a captain of the army. In 1973, he was appointed aide to the army chief and prime minister, General Edgardo Mercado. In 1976, Montesinos was charged by My. Army Jose Fernandez Salvatteci with spying for the United States because he revealed a list of weapons that Peru bought from the Soviet Union. The investigation was terminated abruptly by General Mercado. After Velasco was deposed in 1975, Montesinos made a two-week visit to the United States, paid for by an American government grant. Upon his return to Lima, he was arrested for not having obtained formal permission for the trip from the government of Peru. During the investigation that followed, top-secret documents were found in his possession that he had photocopied and given to the American CIA.’
Farther down the page
‘Frequently, Montesinos secretly videotaped himself bribing individuals in his office, and he made thousands of such tapes, incriminating politicians, officials and military officers and, in all probability, Fujimori himself. His downfall appears to have been precipitated by the discovery of a major arms shipment, airlifted from Jordan via Peru, to the FARC insurgent guerrillas in southern Colombia negotiated by guerrilla leader Tomás Medina Caracas.’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V…..connection
And then theres this.
http://www.danielhopsicker.tv/
By jackie on August 5th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Question?
Why is my comment awaiting Mod?
Sorry, but that hasn’t happened before and I’ve been at the Lake for a while now.
?
By jackie on August 5th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Jeremy Scahill recently talked to Olbermann about this. Great clip.
By laminatorss on August 5th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Lest we not forget that Prince and Blackwater was created by SC-amway ‘a legal pyramid scheme’.
By i4u2bi on August 5th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Right there, is a prime example of the necessity for a stiff inheritance tax.
Maybe we could make it retroactive?
By Watt4Bob on August 5th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
from Jeremy Scahill:
http://www.democracynow.org/20….._on_triple
your Leader, President Obama, is still funneling tax dollars to Blackwater – so those who voted for him are indirectly responsible for the further enrichment of Erik Prince, xtian crusader.
By sporkovat on August 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
99.9% excise tax on income from mercenary armies might be a good idea.
By Blub on August 5th, 2009 at 7:14 pm