[View an update/correction on this article from the EF! Newswire]
Cross Posted from Political Blindspot
A report by Jeremy Scahill in The Nation revealed that the largest mercenary army in the world, Blackwater (later called Xe Services and more recently “Academi”) clandestine intelligence services was sold to the multinational Monsanto. Blackwater was renamed in 2009 after becoming famous in the world with numerous reports of abuses in Iraq, including massacres of civilians. It remains the largest private contractor of the U.S. Department of State “security services,” that practices state terrorism by giving the government the opportunity to deny it.
Many military and former CIA officers work for Blackwater or related companies created to divert attention from their bad reputation and make more profit selling their nefarious services-ranging from information and intelligence to infiltration, political lobbying and paramilitary training – for other governments, banks and multinational corporations. According to Scahill, business with multinationals, like Monsanto, Chevron, and financial giants such as Barclays and Deutsche Bank, are channeled through two companies owned by Erik Prince, owner of Blackwater: Total Intelligence Solutions and Terrorism Research Center. These officers and directors share Blackwater.
One of them, Cofer Black, known for his brutality as one of the directors of the CIA, was the one who made contact with Monsanto in 2008 as director of Total Intelligence, entering into the contract with the company to spy on and infiltrate organizations of animal rights activists, anti-GM and other dirty activities of the biotech giant.
Contacted by Scahill, the Monsanto executive Kevin Wilson declined to comment, but later confirmed to The Nation that they had hired Total Intelligence in 2008 and 2009, according to Monsanto only to keep track of “public disclosure” of its opponents. He also said that Total Intelligence was a “totally separate entity from Blackwater.”
However, Scahill has copies of emails from Cofer Black after the meeting with Wilson for Monsanto, where he explains to other former CIA agents, using their Blackwater e-mails, that the discussion with Wilson was that Total Intelligence had become “Monsanto’s intelligence arm,” spying on activists and other actions, including “our people to legally integrate these groups.” Total Intelligence Monsanto paid $ 127,000 in 2008 and $ 105,000 in 2009.
No wonder that a company engaged in the “science of death” as Monsanto, which has been dedicated from the outset to produce toxic poisons spilling from Agent Orange to PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pesticides, hormones and genetically modified seeds, is associated with another company of thugs.
Almost simultaneously with the publication of this article in The Nation, the Via Campesina reported the purchase of 500,000 shares of Monsanto, for more than $23 million by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which with this action completed the outing of the mask of “philanthropy.” Another association that is not surprising.
It is a marriage between the two most brutal monopolies in the history of industrialism: Bill Gates controls more than 90 percent of the market share of proprietary computing and Monsanto about 90 percent of the global transgenic seed market and most global commercial seed. There does not exist in any other industrial sector monopolies so vast, whose very existence is a negation of the vaunted principle of “market competition” of capitalism. Both Gates and Monsanto are very aggressive in defending their ill-gotten monopolies.
Although Bill Gates might try to say that the Foundation is not linked to his business, all it proves is the opposite: most of their donations end up favoring the commercial investments of the tycoon, not really “donating” anything, but instead of paying taxes to the state coffers, he invests his profits in where it is favorable to him economically, including propaganda from their supposed good intentions. On the contrary, their “donations” finance projects as destructive as geoengineering or replacement of natural community medicines for high-tech patented medicines in the poorest areas of the world. What a coincidence, former Secretary of Health Julio Frenk and Ernesto Zedillo are advisers of the Foundation.
Like Monsanto, Gates is also engaged in trying to destroy rural farming worldwide, mainly through the “Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa” (AGRA). It works as a Trojan horse to deprive poor African farmers of their traditional seeds, replacing them with the seeds of their companies first, finally by genetically modified (GM). To this end, the Foundation hired Robert Horsch in 2006, the director of Monsanto. Now Gates, airing major profits, went straight to the source.
Blackwater, Monsanto and Gates are three sides of the same figure: the war machine on the planet and most people who inhabit it, are peasants, indigenous communities, people who want to share information and knowledge or any other who does not want to be in the aegis of profit and the destructiveness of capitalism.
So why were so many media outlets, editorialists and bloggers clamoring to say that the purchase was a “hoax”?
That’s a good question. The more cynical among us might suspect a financial incentive from Monsanto itself to such “journalists.” Monsanto indeed has hired a public relations team to seek out critical blogs and websites reporting on their crimes against both Nature and humankind. We have seen this first hand in comments on PoliticalBlindSpot.com articles on Monsanto. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that they have created blogs where seemingly legitimate authors write organic thoughts, observations and rebuttals. The public presumes these are real-world people, when in fact they are working PR for the company.
But the core argument of those who claim that the Monsanto purchase of Blackwater is not true lies in the fact that we can only officially document Blackwater being hired by Monsanto for years. Immediately following this extensive work that Blackwater did for Monsanto, they sold the company. Because of the nature of how the sale transpired, it is impossible to document who the sale was to. The obvious and logical conclusion to insiders (particularly in the private security industry), however, is that the sale was in fact to Monsanto who had been employing the group.
Xe (now Academi) has, indeed, been purchased, and while there’s no way of DOCUMENTING who the new owners really are, the logical conclusion would be that Monsanto, who had been employing them prior to the sale are the new owners. This, of course, would also make sense of the secrecy surrounding the deal and the identity of the new owners. The company was bought out by private investors via private equity companies that don’t have to divulge any of their dealings, with Bank of America providing much of the $200 million in financing for the deal.
New York-based USTC Holdings said it will acquire Xe and its core operating subsidiaries, but did not disclose the price or terms of the agreement in a statement.
USTC Holdings is an investor consortium led by private equity firms Forte Capital Advisors and Manhattan Partners.
Various researchers have been trying to document the buy via a paper trail, but so far without much luck. That, of course, is the point…
Keeping it private
One thing that is known: Forte Capital Advisors is the baby of long-time Blackwater ally Jason De Yonker:
DeYonker has unique experience with the Company that dates back to its founding in the late 1990s. He advised the Company through development of its early business plan and expansion of the Moyock training facility as well as supporting negotiations of its first training contracts with U.S. government agencies. Between 1998 and 2002, Mr. DeYonker co-managed Xe founder, Erik Prince’s family office which included management of Mr. Prince’s portfolio companies.
What does that mean? The guy is a glorified accountant.
Prior to joining Forté, Jason co-managed a +$100 million family office. In addition to actively managing various platform companies, Jason was a part of the executive team responsible for family wealth management.
Jason has spent the last 18 years advising on various mergers, acquistions and divestitures with an aggregate transaction value greater than $1 billion. Jason’s experience include: transaction advisory, portfolio management, real estate development, venture capital and cross border dealings. Jason began his career with Arthur Andersen Corporate Finance Group, and was a Director in Deloitte & Touche’s Corporate Finance Group. He also was the Finance Director for the West Family Trust, a venture capital group focused on cross-border transactons.
Jason recieved a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a concentration in finance and accounting, from the Univeristy of Michigan.
The other investor? It looks like the very junior partner will be Manhattan Partners, a private equity company – a shop that gathers money from anonymous rich investors and uses the pool of cash to leverage buyouts of big companies they wouldn’t have been able to take over on their own.
Manhattan Partners invests in “compelling growth and special situation transactions,” but this will be their first known foray into defense industries – WarIsBusiness.com reports (via Spencer Ackerman):
Manhattan Growth Partners is led by Dean Bosacki and Patrick McBride. Bosacki serves on the board of “the world’s largest commencement photography business,” among other companies. Manhattan Growth Partners, which describes itself as “a progressive thinking private equity firm,” also holds a majority interest in Hugo Naturals, a line of organic, vegan-friendly soaps, lotions, scents and soy candles sold at Whole Foods and other greenwashed retailers.
At the end of the day, it would seem the logical conclusion is that in spite of arguments to the contrary, Monsanto in fact did by the Blackwater mercenary group… or at least the renamed Blackwater Xe (now Academi) Services group. The big question now is why?
Reblogged this on Mindweapons in Ragnarok and commented:
Wow, this is scary. Monsanto purchased Blackwater. Roided up mercenaries versus non-GMO farmers and gardeners. The Dystopia is here.
“Monsanto purchased Blackwater.”
So now the same group that has unaccountable military power also controls the food supply.
This is Police State Plus.
“Xe (now Academi) has, indeed, been purchased, and while there’s no way of DOCUMENTING who the new owners really are, the logical conclusion would be that Monsanto, who had been employing them prior to the sale are the new owners.”
There is no evidence that Monsanto purchased Blackwater (Xe), just a wild and speculative jump that because Monsanto once contracted for Blackwater’s services that Monsanto is likely behind the private investors. First, Blackwater had a number of corporate clients from Chevron to the Walt Disney Company, why assume Monsanto was the purchaser and not another client. Second, the NYT reported that the sale was for about $200 million. This would almost certainly be a material acquisition under securities laws which Monsanto would have had to disclose, creating a documented record.
“At the end of the day, it would seem the logical conclusion is that in spite of arguments to the contrary, Monsanto in fact did by the Blackwater mercenary group…”
No, that is not the logical conclusion. Blackwater/Xe is a tarnished brand with many enemies. Monsanto has enough problems with its own reputation and its own list of enemies. Monsanto, a $55 billion agribusiness corporation has no incentive to buy a war/security/intelligence company it was doing less that $150,000 a year in business with and take on the associated headaches. The more likely scenario is that a group of individual investors loyal to Erick Prince purchased the company allowing him to step down and preserve the company’s contracts with the State Department without completely giving up the company.
Earth First! Journal Cascadia Office suggests that “bought Blackwater” means “it’s a way of saying that they bought their services.” But that is not what the article nor its headline say. The article says Monsanto actually purchased the Blackwater/Xe because it had been using its services.
Well said. This article is too heavy handed opinion without evidence
Reblogged this on okieprogressive.
Gawd horrors
Reblogged this on Dyscommunication.
Reblogged this on thejumbledmind.
Reblogged this on oogenhand and commented:
This is becoming definitely cyberpunk. But do they stand a chance against a fanatic religion, like that of mine?
no they didn’t buy the group – you are full of shit – this put into question any information on your site and probably your sanity
can you expand on that a bit, maybe…..???
If they can’t provide a substantiated source than they’re just contributing to noise. They imply The Nation proved this, but there’s no link. I wish sites like this would just go away and stop wasting people’s time.
Monsanto doesn’t own any security companies …..period
it’s a way of saying that they bought their services.
One of the most incendiary details in the documents is that Blackwater, through Total Intelligence, sought to become the “intel arm” of Monsanto, offering to provide operatives to infiltrate activist groups organizing against the multinational biotech firm.
Read more: Blackwater’s Black Ops | The Nation http://www.thenation.com/article/154739/blackwaters-black-ops#ixzz2YFIiSe5C
Follow us: @thenation on Twitter | TheNationMagazine on Facebook
Reblogged this on Mark Solock Blog.
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While I’m not a fan of Monsanto, I still don’t see where it shows them buying Academi/Blackwater. The article clearly states that it is impossible to say who actually bought it. Then it says it was bought by 2 holdin companies, neither o which show any ties to Monsanto. I dislike GMO just as much as the next guy, but this is a stretch.
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THIS IS NOT TRUE. Hiring a company isn’t the same as buying it!
Scahill’s piece was written three years ago, and the finding was that Blackwater (through Total Intelligence) wanted to lead Monsanto’s security work (monitoring, infiltrating activist groups, etc). That is very, very different from Blackwater being purchased by Monsanto and becoming a subsidiary. That type of gigantic, irresistibly controversial merger would have been all over mainstream news and business press, not just a couple duped blogs and questions on Snopes. Monsanto is a publicly-traded corporation and would’ve had to disclose this merger to its shareholders and the government.
Please fact check, this was very easy to disprove with a simple Google search. I would like to think this is a place I could come for reliable information about meaningful news and activism, but now will be very skeptical.
Please read the EF! Newswire’s response following up on some of the critiques and questions in this comment stream: https://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/monsanto-and-xe-acadami/
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