Blackwater Brass form Intelligence Company (Total Intelligence)

[maxrandb]

Talk about things that :scared: the crap out of you. This article is by Bill Sizemore of the Virginia Pilot and appeared in today's Business Section. Sorry, but it's only available by subscription to the ePilot. www.pilotonline.com

It seems that the wealthy and the corporations will now have their very own CIA working for them. Am I over reacting to this, or is this something we should be concerned with? Here's one thing that concerns me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the CIA is prohibited from spying on American citizens and operating within the United States, but what prevents the CIA from hiring Blackwater to spy on American citizens.

I'm not naive. I know this kind of crap goes on, but the size and scope of this Blackwater operation troubles me. It's almost as if we have a "shadow" government growing right before our eyes, and no one is doing anything about it. What type of oversight will "Blackwater CIA" have? Who is "Blackwater CIA" accountable to (other than the Almighty dollar)?

I know the Republic Party is into "privatization", but this is getting ridiculous.

"Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, announced Tuesday the formation of a new CIA-type private company to provide intelligence services to commercial clients. A spokesman for Total Intelligence said there is no corporate affiliation with Blackwater, the Moyock NC-based private military company, but the new firm clearly has a Blackwater stamp.

Blackwater’s primary specialties are tactical training and security, but it is no stranger to the intelligence world. The 10-year-old company’s first security contract, awarded in 2002, was for a classified operation. In his book “Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror,” author Robert Young Pelton identified the company’s client as the CIA.

The concept of marketing intelligence services to commercial clients is not new, Pelton said Tuesday, but the new venture represents “a continuing evolution in what Blackwater’s doing.” "Total Intel brings the intelligence gathering methodology and analytical skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the board room," Black said in a statement Tuesday. “With a service like this, CEOs and their security personnel will be able to respond to threats quickly and confidently – whether it’s determining which city is safest to open a new plant in or working to keep employees out of harm’s way after a terrorist attack.”

Things that make you go :wtf:

[rubberducky]

1. K&R

[SharonAnn]

2. Good grief! They're after money, so cut off all gov't money. That'll help.

[maxrandb]

7. Yes! Something tells me that when

Bremmer and pals were playing football with bricks of $100 bills, Blackwater was somewhere close by.

[Canuckistanian]

27. Blackwater was at the other end of the field, waiting for the throw

It was a pretty one-sided game.

[ClintonTyree]

3. Bush will want to out-source our intelligence agencies next....

because the private sector can do a much better and cheaper job, right? :eyes: And isn't, "Blackwater" and "intelligence", an oxymoron? :shrug:

When will the madness end? :banghead: Are the people in this country going to take all of this crap sitting down? Are we going to allow Bush and his corporate pals dismantle and sell the entire country piece by piece? In 2 more years it will be too late. Bush will have so destroyed this country that no one will be able to return it to a semi-functional Democracy again.

WORST PRESIDENT EVER! :grr:

[maxrandb]

6. My lovely bride said last night after watching the story on Walter Reed

that "the Republican's have so ruined this country, it's going to take decades to fix it. We need to send them back to the permanent minority they deserve".

[hang a left]

23. Mention Blackwater on the street to any passer by and watch

them look at you like WTF are you talking about. Very few people have any clue whatsoever.

Disgusting.

[Richard Steele]

4. It's not even a "shadow" government anymore when they announce this PUBLICLY.

The age of the "nation-state" is rapidly drawing to a close, right
in front of our eyes; "Corporate Feudalism" is now so firmly
entrenched that it feels safe to show its face to the brainwashed
masses more blatantly every damn day.

Editid fer spellin'.

[pberq]

5. Of course the private CIA will have no accountability

[Dr.Phool]

8. Link works fine. No subscription necessary.

Just scroll down to Blackwater story.

[maxrandb]

14. Thanks.

I couldn't find the story and had to go to ePilot.

[seafan]

9. More from the article about the privatization of our intelligence agencies. Hello, Congress?

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=119833&ran=88794">Blackwater brass forms intelligence company

By BILL SIZEMORE
The Virginian-Pilot

February 21, 2007

Cofer Black, vice chairman of Blackwater USA, announced Tuesday the formation of a new CIA-type private company to provide intelligence services to commercial clients.
The executive roster for the new venture, Total Intelligence Solutions, is loaded with veterans of U.S. intelligence agencies, including two other Blackwater officials.
A spokeswoman for Total Intelligence said there is no corporate affiliation with Blackwater, the Moyock, N.C.-based private military company, but the new firm clearly has a Blackwater stamp.

Among the key personnel and their positions at Total Intelligence, which will be based in Alexandria:

# Black, chairman. He joined Blackwater two years ago after three decades in the CIA and State Department. He was director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center and the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, a job with ambassador rank.

# Robert Richer, chief executive officer. He is vice president for intelligence at Blackwater and retired from the CIA in November 2005 as associate deputy director for operations.

# Enrique "Ric" Prado, chief operating officer. He is vice president of special government programs at Blackwater and a 24-year veteran of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, including 10 years with the agency's paramilitary Special Operations Group. In his last overt job with the CIA, Prado worked under Black as chief of operations for the Counterterrorist Center.

.....


The concept of marketing intelligence services to commercial clients is not new, Pelton said Tuesday, but the new venture represents "a continuing evolution in what Blackwater's doing."
"Total Intel brings the intelligence gathering methodology and analytical skills traditionally honed by CIA operatives directly to the board room," Black said in a statement Tuesday. "With a service like this, CEOs and their security personnel will be able to respond to threats quickly and confidently - whether it's determining which city is safest to open a new plant in or working to keep employees out of harm's way after a terrorist attack."
The statement said the company will operate a "24/7 intelligence fusion and warning center" that will monitor civil unrest, terrorism, economic stability, environmental and health concerns, and information technology security around the world.


Among other top executives of the new company are:

# Matthew Devost, president. He is an information security consultant and founding director of the Terrorism Research Center.

# Caleb "Cal" Temple, senior vice president for intelligence and analysis. A former FBI intelligence specialist, he was most recently chief of the Office of Intelligence Operations in the Defense Intelligence Agency.

These people are completely circumventing Congress, as fast as they possibly can.

Hope the Chairs of the Senate and House Intel Committees, Senator Rockefeller and Representative Reyes, are aware of this.


How does Total Intelligence Awareness, er, Solutions, grab everyone? And where is John Poindexter these days?



To contact Sen. Rockefeller:

Washington, D.C.
531 Hart Senate Office Building
20510
[phone]
[phone] Fax

Charleston
405 Capitol Street
Suite 508
25301-1749
[phone]
[phone] Fax


To contact Rep. Reyes:

Washington, D.C. Office
2433 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Office Hours: 9am-6pm EST

El Paso Office
310 N. Mesa, Suite 400
El Paso, Texas 79901
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Office Hours: 8am-5pm MDT


(emphasis added)

[bobthedrummer]

10. We've been fascist for years, it will be totalitarian when a "national emergency"

is staged again...

[ftr23532]

11. K&R!

This is important! :kick: :thumbsup:

[In Truth We Trust]

12. The name itself is eerily similar to the supposedly disbanded Total Information Awareness program.

[maxrandb]

13. Darn Right it is

Who wants to take a bet on whether Rumsfeld is somehow involved in this.

Imagine the "can of worms" this could open.

- Want intelligence to support a war, but the CIA stuff doesn't support it? Simply outsource it to Blackwater and let bits and pieces of bogus intel leak to the press.

- A corporation is giving money to Democratic candidates? Hire Blackwater to to a "black-bag" operation, or intimidate them into cutting off campaign donations.

- Want to be chosen for a government contract over another company? Hire Blackwater to do a CIA type job to discredit the competition.

- Small business A is developing a product to compete with Big Corporation B? Hire Blackwater to sabotage Small business A's factory or production.

That IS what the article says, isn't it? "Bring the same CIA tactics and analysis to the boardroom"?

Fucking Ian Fleming couldn't have dreamed up the shit were living with today.

[Lasher]

26. Poindexter has to be involved in this somehow.

In January this year Poindexter was appointed to the BOD of BrightPlanet Corporation, a company that does data mining. BrightPlanet's customers include the US Navy and the neocon think tank, American Enterprise Institute. John Boulton, Lynne Cheney Newt Gingrich, and Richard Pearle are listed as AEI 'Scholars and Fellows'. Lockheed Martin is one of BrightPlanet's partners.

Poindexter also sits on the board of Saffron Technology, a firm that does snooping for Defense and Intelligence agencies.

[formercia]

15. The Pinkertons

see how they served 'Management' in the 19th. Century.

[happydreams]

17. Oh, baby. You got that right. Them bastids was nasty!

They did in America what the fascists did in Germany later, only they did it much more quietly!

[maxrandb]

20. Thanks!

I'd seen reference to the Pinkertons in books and old movies, but your post made me do a little googling.

Yikes! :scared:

Seriously though, how is this legal? Not to mention..what in the hell does Exxon need James Bond for?

Our Congress better get off their asses while we still have a country left to save.

[happydreams]

37. Back in the 1800's and early 1900's "security" opertives working for

industry infiltrated labor and civil movements with thug and other crooks to foment violence then blame it on the rights activists. The Pullman strike of 1894 caused Cleveland to open an investigation and they discovered this.

IMO the history we were taught and the true history are damn close to 180 degrees out.

[hang a left]

24. I think you are right.

It has always been happening. Just now they aren't in the shadows any longer, they are in your face. Geez what the heck happened to this country?

[happydreams]

38. I'm glad they are out in the open now. At least now they can be

confronted via the Internet and other truly free informatio mediums.

[mhatrw]

16. K&R n/t

[cui bono]

18. k & r

[Morgana LaFey]

19. It's not humanly possible to overreact to Blackwater

Sad but true.

NO! You're NOT overreacting.

[bbgrunt]

21. yikes, this is really getting serious. k n r

[vanboggie]

22. Just sent to KO

More emails from us suggesting he cover the story may help. This is in addition to contacting my congress critters and committee members as well.

Someone has to stop these :evilfrown: goons and fast. It's up to us to do everything we can to shine a light on the roaches.

Thanks for the information maxrandb!

[me b zola]

25. k&r

:scared:

[donkeyotay]

28. Meanwhile, Congress is permanently worried about being too far left

We could be polite and call what's happened to our government a hostile takeover, or we could be blunt and call it a coup. In any event, we have witnessed the end of the great experiment in freedom. Next stop, the great experiment in corporate global rule and the power struggles that go with it. It'll be gang warfare writ large. Screwn. We are screwn.

[redqueen]

36. It's amazing, isn't it?

Long past time to take off the gloves...

[gristy]

29. Unless Congress exempts them from applicable laws,

I'm not particularly worried. There's a long article in this week's New Yorker about Patricia Dunn at HP and her spying attempts to find a boardroom leaker. Last October, Dunn was indicted on four felony counts, and four others, 2 of them from the spying company (not unlike Total Intelligence, but with smaller fish), were also charged.

[maxrandb]

31. I'm extremely concerned

because we've just witnessed how much damage a president can do with a compliant press and complicit congress. Throw in the Republic Party's love for regulation and oversight, and you've got a potential "soup-sandwich".

They've spent the last two decades pulling the teeth out of our regulatory agencies and law enforcement (at least when it come to white collar crime).

We can have all the laws on the books and all the "freedom of the press" that you want, but if the folks empowered to prosecute those laws don't care, or are cronies, and the press cares more about whether or not Britney shaves her pubes, or is a "natural" blond...we're screwed.

[Blackhatjack]

30. Take Choicepoint, Add Total Intelligence, Add Paid Mercenaries, And You Get.....

A very effective "Private Dictatorial Complex" which is able to violate prohibitions placed upon the Government, and which will promote and protect the special interests of corporations and NeoCons to the detriment of the welfare of the people.

This has been going on a long time, but what should really shock you is that they are coming out into the public light revealing who they are and what they are really doing.

It will not take a huge military force to implement 'martial law.' We are closer today than we have ever been to a 'private' special interest group 'taking over' the function and control of government. And the use of massive wealth in the form of campaign contributions to the members of Congress and Officials of this Administration, and the ownership of the media by corporate interests, makes that possible and puts our democracy at risk of failure.

And we have our Paul Revere style warnings going off all around us .......

[SaneInSC]

32. Reframe

We the people must re-frame our view of elected officials. We shouldn't give a damn about party, only about positions on issues. Too many are blind to reality. Obviously both major parties here suck and are non-responsive to the will of the people. Term limit them ALL. Sure we'd lose the occasional good and honest person, but obviously the status quo isn't working for us. Back to citizen legislators doing a service and then heading back to their communities. We must ensure that the only reward for getting elected is the positive feeling of doing the public good. Without that, we get corruption and inaction. Are Trent Lott and Carl Levine so scary smart that nobody else could do as well? Yeah right.

[nam78_two]

33. K&R-this is very creepy

Thank you for posting.

[EVDebs]

34. Teamed w/ Global Information Group Ltd of the Bahamas

the Ben H. Bell III company, voila, you have effectively and de facto outsourced and offshored Total Information Awareness. Besides, the plutocrats always wanted this kind of control over the serfs.

Bahamas Firm Screens Personal Data To Assess Risk
Operation Avoids U.S. Privacy Rules
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36853-2004Oct15.html

Begs question, 'Is Congress even AWARE of this ?'

Couple this ability with RFIDs and 'background checks' and you can efficiently make sure your dissenting opposition is too busy fending off lawsuits and harassment that you won't have any 'troublemakers' left out there to screw up the plans, like the old days.

Besides, CIA's 'domestic spying' unit is moving to Denver so that by '08 the Democratic convention will be soooooo spied upon you might as well have a virtual convention over the web, not that that will guarantee any anonymity or security either.

Looks like Congress needs to rename or start a new moniker for 'intelligence' since there's no common sense going on in that establishment.

[barbtries]

35. that is scary.

really. sigh.