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Blackwater: Looking for A Few Good Hundred Million
Earlier this week, ABC reported that the investment firm Cerberus Capital was in talks to buy Blackwater for around $200 million, but Cerberus, which had apparently been exploring the deal since the beginning of this year, got cold feet as soon as the news went public.
It turns out that it's part of a concerted push, The Times reports, to expand Blackwater's business because "whatever the outcome of the US presidential election Blackwater, run by Erik Prince, the Republican former Navy Seal, may find itself without friends in Washington." So there's an effort to prepare for the future, when all those federal investigations and scandals might actually affect the bottom line:
Blackwater has advertised in security industry journals repositioning itself as a peacekeeping force. The adverts show mothers feeding babies and Blackwater guards smiling as children play in a street. It has also set up a division called Greystone, which is seeking to win protection work from the UN, aid organisations and foreign companies.A defence industry source said: "Theirs is nearly all US government work and if that goes they are in trouble."
(Here's more on Greystone from Mother Jones.)
Comments (18)
I'd say that Blackwater or any subsidiary or anything resembling Blackwater should be permanently banned from Federal contracts.
Besides, the government should never outsource killing people -- NEVER.
May 2, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm in total agreement. And if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: Blackwater scares the crap out of me.
May 2, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
About the same time Blackwater was making headlines for murders in Iraq, Serviam magazine started showing up in all Capitol Hill offices (members and committees), unordered but chock full of Blackwater advertising:
http://www.serviammagazine.com/
Essentially, it's a PR effort by Blackwater to try to rehabilitate their image. Not sure how it is working out for them, but the editorial content of the magazine itself is about one notch above "drivel."
May 2, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why not work for the Devil? I'm sure the Devil has lots of work for them to do. There are lots of openings for minions of Hell--it's like phone solicitation.
Anyway, as far as Blackwater is concerned, when he retires from the presidency George W. Bush is going to be hard pressed to decide between joining the board (or becoming CEO?) at Blackwater or Halliburton. Why not both?
George W. Bush: taking his pay-off for helping his business cronies make fortunes by killing American soldiers. (And raping women in storage containers, of course.)
I'm sure the twins could always use more blood money for alcohol.
May 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think some contracts should be given to private companies, but not to these rentawarrior types because it counters the military command at times like in Iraq and they seem to have their own command centers. Not a good idea.
It should all be all be strict military controlled.
May 2, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm waiting to see who's gonna be the first Repug to come up with the following line of defense:
"Oh come on! These Blackwater stories are nothing! The Democrats had a much worse scandal with Whitewater, and the liberal press let them get away with it."
May 2, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Erik Prince has got to be one of the scariest people in the country. Why do Americans tolerate thugs like this? The Bush Administration is total garbage.
May 2, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you think Erik Prince's haircut is a conscious attempt to make him look like Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg? Or is it just a happy coincidence?
May 2, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
"whatever the outcome of the US presidential election Blackwater, run by Erik Prince, the Republican former Navy Seal, may find itself without friends in Washington."
Haha reminds me of:
"Despite the best that has been done by everyone...the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage, while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest." - Emperor Hirohito
May 3, 2008 12:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Blackwater is too big to fail.
May 3, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
But . . . If you want to make a speculative investment with a huge upside (McCain has to win in the Fall) get in on the purchase of Blackwater.
As McCain continues Bush's privatizing of government, Blackwater could well grow to handle most of the actual fighting as we attack Iran, Syria and anyone else that does not bow down.
And . . . As the 1% become billionaires and the rest of us go into serfdom, the private security business will explode. . . Think South Africa.
May 3, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
"As the 1% become billionaires and the rest of us go into serfdom, the private security business will explode. . . "
If you happen to be one of the richest 1% of the peo-ple in America, Ignore this, otherwise, pay attention as you will be one of the serfs.
May 3, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
may find itself without friends in Washington
I'd like to see a comprehensive round-up of the companies and individuals that have made a fortune in the last seven years with the aid of "friends in Washington". Wouldn't it be good to see all that in one place?
May 3, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to see that list also.
In the last decade the easiest way to make big money has been to get a government contract, particularly when government jobs were outsourced, or to get the government to award you a monopoly on some product or service. Prison construction and education have both been big beneficiaries of government hand-outs.
Look at Ashcroft's no-bid contract.
Bush is ready for the change in regime here, though. Remember his land purchase in Paraguay? 98,840 acres that were accompanied by a bill through the Paraguayan Senate that
By next inauguration day Bush will have stolen all he can carry and will leave the country.It'll be interesting to see if any Congressmen or Senators join hem there.
May 4, 2008 6:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thats GREAT...........LOL
May 4, 2008 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Last year we deported 20,000 American trained terrorist back to El Salvador. We could have easly hired this group aka MS13 to proxy fight the war. Not to mention all those folks in the School of The America who are presently unemployed and or under employed.
www.soaw.org
May 4, 2008 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice smile. Reminds me of Heinrich Himmler.
May 5, 2008 2:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Erik Prince must be observed and his activity followed very closely. There are many other security companies competing for the billions of dollars in play within the newly created "Homeland Security" business. I think the most serious issue is the Christian Warrior ethos that is the primary focus of
a significant percentage of these newly formed private armies. The U.S. military has been busy promoting Christianity as the ultimate sword for every soldier, pilot and seaman. The Air Force might as well be called Airmen for Jesus. Freedom from religion no longer exists there. And the other branches are not far behind. Religion used as a rallying force for militarism has never had a happy ending. Blackwater must be held responsible for the Sept. 16th murders as well as many similar, unreported crimes. Just because the Bush Justice Dept. has been corrupted does not mean a new Justice Dept. under new management cannot prosecute these war crimes. Blackwater will disappear without government contracts. That would be a very good thing.
May 9, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink