From the article below: "The report noted Prince's ties to ultra-conservative politics in his native state, Michigan. His late father, Edgar Prince, was a west Michigan industrialist and a supporter of conservative causes. The Blackwater chief's sister, Betsy DeVos, is a former Michigan Republican chairwoman who is married to Richard DeVos, a former head of the Michigan-based Amway Corp. and an unsuccessful 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate."
Inquiry details Blackwater firings The private security contractor has sacked 122 of its armed guards in Iraq, a congressional investigation says. By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 3:43 PM PDT, October 1, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Blackwater USA, the private security contractor under scrutiny for killing civilians in a Baghdad shootout last month, has fired 122 of its armed guards in Iraq since it started protecting U.S. diplomats, according to a congressional investigation. The firings, most frequently the result of weapons-related incidents, amount to more than one-seventh of Blackwater's current workforce in Iraq. None of those fired have been subject to any legal proceedings or other sanctions, the investigation found. Iraq cancels Blackwater's license Photo Gallery The disclosures came today in a memo by the staff of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) sent to members of the House Oversight Committee, which is scheduled to hold a hearing on Blackwater on Tuesday. Erik Prince, Blackwater's founder, is scheduled to appear at the hearing. In the 15-page memo, Waxman's staff said the State Department had either ignored misconduct by Blackwater or, as in one high-profile incident, was involved in making sure a Blackwater employee accused of killing an Iraqi guard while intoxicated was flown out of the country less than 36 hours after the shooting. "Even in cases involving the death of Iraqis, it appears that the State Department's primary response was to ask Blackwater to make monetary payments to 'put the matter behind us,' rather than to insist upon accountability or to investigate Blackwater personnel for potential criminal liability," the memo said. "The most serious consequence faced by Blackwater personnel for misconduct appears to be termination of their employment." The State Department and Pentagon are investigating the latest shooting involving Blackwater, which took place Sept. 16 and resulted in the deaths of at least 11 Iraqis. FBI officials said today that the agency would take part in the investigation. Of the 122 firings, 28 were for weapons-related incidents, including two for improperly firing at Iraqis and one for threatening Iraqis with a firearm. Twenty-five were dismissed for drug and alcohol violations and 16 for "inappropriate/lewd conduct." Blackwater and State Department spokesmen said that they would not comment on the specific allegations made in the memo, but expected them to be addressed by officials at Tuesday's hearing. The congressional allegations are particularly sensitive coming in the aftermath of the Sept. 16 shooting, in which Iraqi officials have accused Blackwater contractors of firing without provocation. The Iraqi government has attempted to strip the company of its ability to do business in the country, alleging Blackwater guards have repeatedly shot at civilians with impunity. Blackwater and State Department officials have insisted a diplomatic convoy was ambushed in the incident, and that Blackwater guards returned fire only after being fired upon. The FBI said it was sending a team of investigators to Iraq to take part in the investigation. An FBI spokesman said the assistance was being sent at the request of the State Department. The congressional investigation, which had access to 437 internal Blackwater incident reports, as well as some State Department documents and communications, found there have been 195 shootings involving Blackwater guards since 2005, a rate investigators deemed "frequent and extensive." The investigators also found Blackwater guards were returning fire in only 16% of those incidents. In the other 163 occasions, more than 80% of the time, Blackwater guards fired first, the committee staff found. "Blackwater is legally and contractually bound to only engage in defensive uses of force to prevent 'imminent and grave danger' to themselves or others," the congressional staff report said. "In practice, however, the vast majority of Blackwater weapons discharges are preemptive, with Blackwater forces firing first at a vehicle or suspicious individual prior to receiving any fire." The report noted Prince's ties to ultra-conservative politics in his native state, Michigan. His late father, Edgar Prince, was a west Michigan industrialist and a supporter of conservative causes. The Blackwater chief's sister, Betsy DeVos, is a former Michigan Republican chairwoman who is married to Richard DeVos, a former head of the Michigan-based Amway Corp. and an unsuccessful 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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