Not Just Blackwater

What the State Dep't. seems to feel is permissible for its private security contractorsmercenaries, in this case DynCorp International, to do:

Ms. Nantongo, the embassy spokeswoman, said that according to DynCorp’s own report to the State Department on the episode, the DynCorp guards first used “nonlethal means to warn the driver of the vehicle to stop.” In Iraq, the term “nonlethal means” often indicates that guards threw water bottles, waved or fired a small flare to get the attention of a driver. But DynCorp told the State Department that the vehicle continued forward, and that a guard “discharged his weapon to disable the vehicle,” Ms. Nantongo said. “There are conflicting accounts as to whether anyone was injured or killed,” she said. [...] Mr. Lagana said the DynCorp guards reported that they were unaware that they had wounded or killed anyone. “We knew that we had fired at the front of the vehicle,” he said. “We were kind of surprised that there was a death.”

In the immortal words of Gomer Pyle (who seems to have been promoted from private to "Guy in Charge in Iraq"): "Surprise, surprise!" HERE'S THE BLACKWATER PART: More on Erik Prince, from the Detroit Free Press, known as the Freep. Don't be scared, it has no relation to Fresno's finest, Free Republic. Yeah, yeah, it's over a month old, but it provides some insight into Mr. Prince's characterpersonality, whatever you want to call it.

"In Holland, there's very much a strong sense of patriotism," said longtime friend Jim Heetderks. "I think he really took that to heart more than the rest of us." Prince declined to be interviewed for this story. His mother and sisters did not respond to requests for comment. Prince was steeped in free-market, faith-based, Republican values from a young age. [...] After graduating, Prince headed to the U.S. Naval Academy, only to quit after three semesters. He told friends he was disappointed in the maturity and morality of his fellow midshipmen. "I know when he got back, he said that he thought everybody at the academy would just bleed red, white and blue like he did," the former coach, Heethuis said. "But he found out some people were just there for a free education." Prince landed an internship in the early 1990s in the White House under then-President George Bush. Again, he was disappointed. He later told the Grand Rapids Press: "I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with -- homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kinds of bills." But he didn't reject politics. He stumped for Pat Buchanan, and interned at Bauer's Family Research Council in Virginia, even climbing trees in Bauer's backyard to trim dead branches. Prince's connection with Christian conservatives was strengthened by another internship, with California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who recalled talking with Prince about his ideals. "If he wanted to make money, he could have done a lot of things to make more money," Rohrabacher said. "He is an idea-driven person."

Those who know of Rohrabacher will be amused by that statement. Also, a quickie bio of Erik Prince from the Freep. And, from an interview he gave the Free Press a few days after declining to be interviewed:

WASHINGTON -- As Blackwater USA's owner, Erik Prince can rattle off reasons for its meteoric success getting work as security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. But his family's political connections, its vast giving to Republican, Christian and conservative causes and campaigns aren't among them, he says. "I'm not a zealot," he said. "I'm a businessman."

Often the same thing. Certainly, family connections & massive donations (from the foundation he established, besides the $200,000 Prince has personally given to drooling wingnuts) have nothing to do w/ success in no-bid gov't. contracts.

Prince deflected accusations of a cowboy mentality within his company, that his contractors shoot first and ask questions later in protecting dignitaries and diplomats. "They're out there doing a very difficult job," he said, noting contractors' military and law-enforcement backgrounds.

Sure, no one in law enforcement or the military has ever acted like a fucking cowboy. From April of this yr., a look at Prince (w/ links) from Michigan Liberal.com. And all of this Michigan based stuff comes to our attention from nancynall.com, whose commentariat, & some other stuff we've seen, suggests that Western Michigan is a hotbed of crazy people. Oh, we're sorry, don't mean to be uncivil, they're perfectly normal people who just happen to hold 16th century views. And the Dutch Reformed Church (very popular around Holland, Mich.) of which Prince was a member before converting to Roman Catholicism, is one of those Calvinist outfits.