Repost: Blackwater, Amway, and the GOP

Most are familiar with the private security contractor group, Blackwater Academi (previously known as Blackwater.) It is a highly secretive mercenary group employed by the U.S. government for (violent/imposing) occupation, "watchdog" services, and murder missions. Despite the terrible possibilities that arise from the act, they have also been deployed on American soil, such as during the Katrina disaster (a deplorable decision I like to call Operation: Subdue and Disarm Civilians.) There are several controversies and Blackwater Academi has been accused of numerous examples of unacceptable and/or illegal activities.

None of this is news to most people, which is why it's so shocking that they are allowed to exist in the first place. What's also shocking is the deep connections between this military mercenary group and the global network marketing ("pyramid scheme") company, Amway.

Blackwater was founded by Erik Prince, whose father Edgar Prince founded the Family Research Council. Prince financed and was once V.P. of the Christian right-wing Council on National Policy, a "secretive and dangerous" conservative "answer" to the Council on Foreign Relations, as described here. (Remember Tom Delay? He's a member of the CNP.) Prince's sister married Dick DeVos, CEO and co-founder of Amway (whose family also owns the Orlando Magic.) DeVos ran for (and failed to win) a GOP gubernatorial position in Michigan in 2006. Check out some of his positions on the issues.

Amway is one of the largest, wealthiest american companies in the global market, and is one of the largest contributors to the GOP (sometimes THE greatest contributor), with donations from the company itself and with several private donations from individual family members to specific members of the GOP, including presidents. In 2000, Amway made donations totaling $1,138,500 to the RNC, and $2.5 million in 1996.

The government/military's interest in using military force domestically is nothing new. The website for the Department of Homeland Security includes an article which describes posse comitatus (an act passed in 1878 which makes it unlawful to employ any part of the army against the american people unless expressly authorized by the constitution or act of congress) as a "myth" which limits government efficiency, and attempts to build fear in readers by drawing attention to "risks" of WMDs and terrorism. The DHS publicly bashing an act intended to protect citizens from a militaristic government? No wonder Blackwater gets away with murder. (The act itself is constantly ignored, thanks to the Patriot Act, as we saw with Katrina and as we see every time federal agencies place agents in protest groups and profiled minority groups to spy on their activities.)

In my opinion, Prince and DeVos together appear to be (some of) the true heads of the GOP. With ties to each other's companies, a hand directly in violent military decisions, and a hand in almost every product we buy and every business we visit, everything we do seems to put money in their pockets, and therefore money in the pockets of the GOP. Their personal contributions to the GOP require all of us to contribute to controversial death-contractors and a party whose ideals we may or may not agree with. Their goals and perspectives are dangerous ones (selling private death contractors, for one), and their involvement in the political party's sharp turn toward fear-based control seems clear. These are the wealthy 1% that control the decisions of our government. But not only do they affect decision-making: they are also providing mercenaries to the military and selling us most of our goods.

Prince has been quoted as saying "I interned with the Bush administration for six months. I saw a lot of things I didn't agree with -- homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns."