Big Ag Hires Blackwater To Gather Intelligence On Anti-GMO Advocates

[babylonsister]

Big Ag Hires Blackwater To Gather Intelligence On Anti-GMO Advocates
By Mint Press News Desk | May 29, 2013


Biotech giant Monsanto has hired private security firm Academi, formerly known as Blackwater, to perform security work and gather intelligence amid growing public opposition to genetically modified foods, or GMOs, according to documents obtained by The Nation. The activities may even include infiltrating anti-Monsanto activist groups.

Jeremy Scahill of The Nation reports that Blackwater executives thought the deal could bring in as much as $500,000. Carolanne Wright of Natural News believes that the agreement is part of the company’s plan to thwart anti-Monsanto advocacy against genetically modifying crops.

“It appears as though the corporation found it necessary to contract with Blackwater in order to collect intelligence on anti-Monsanto activists as well infiltrate their ranks,” writes Wright.

The documents obtained by The Nation indicate this could be part of a broader trend by corporations hiring private security firms to gather intelligence on activist groups opposed to corporate policies.

more...

http://www.mintpressnews.com/big-ag-hires-blackwater-to-gather-intelligence-on-anti-gmo-advocates/

[Mopar151]

1. Pinkerton making a comeback?

New opportunities for Baldwin-Felts.......

[Volaris]

40. not Pinkerton..Lone Star (anyone who has played Shadowrun will get it)

[Downwinder]

2. Will they be distinguishable from the FBI?

Maybe a little turf war.

[bahrbearian]

3. The push to Privatize the FBI

[bvar22]

35. Will they be distinguishable from the FBI?

YES!
The FBI is a government agency,
and as such is subject to Constitutional Constraints that place a limit on what our government can do.

As a government agency, the FBI is also subject to a certain level of public oversight and accountability (at least on paper).

Blackwater, a "private" corporation, is not handicapped by these constraints.

[Dustlawyer]

4. K&R! Be prepared, this will be what they do for all future protests! If people would ever get behind

COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM (CCFR) you would see them go completely nuts with spies due to the fact that CCFR is an attack at the corporation's and the 1%'s control over the political process of this country! They OWN most of our politicians in Washington due to our system of legalized bribery of campaign contributions and Citizens United. This is a battle I would dearly love to see. It is also the only way we would have an opportunity to address Climate Change in time, if it is not already too late!
But alas, we are too myopic and caught up in the trees (guns, gays, Travon Martin & GMO's to name a few) and cannot see the Forest. These issues are symptoms of the corruption and will not change significantly without addressing the root cause which is, Democrats and Republicans alike are controlled by the super rich who distract us with the constant fake battle over very important issues. I would think that we at DU could recognize this and begin a movement to DEMAND CCFR, but I have been saying this for over a year and while I generally get several Posters who are in agreement, I do not see any help spreading the message and starting the fight. I must not be any good at getting this message out, or motivating people to help spread the word. Also, too many of us treat politics like a sports team and root for their "side" while overlooking the problems with their team! They fall for the media's strategy of displacing our anger at the root cause and shunting it onto the nasty Republicons. I hope someone comes along that has such a force of personality (Elizabeth Warren might be the one) they could ignite the protest and keep it focused to help root out the money in our politics. There will always be corruption, but it should be the exception, not the norm!

[namaste2]

25. From your lips...

Yes, we have to hack at the root of the problem, not all of the branches it produces. Thanks!

[L0oniX]

29. This is what happens when you don't prosecute war criminals. n/t

[Dustlawyer]

34. The reverse is true! Not prosecuting war criminals, Wall Street, and Oil Company criminals...

is what happens when the whole political system is corrupt!

[Dan de Lyons]

5. Will Blackwater go operational?

The slightest hint that Blackwater has gone operational will not look good at all. To give a bunch of operational guys intelligence work to do is tempting fate. We must watch them closely.

[Generic Other]

6. Hope they only serve GMO foods in the Blackwater cafeteria

Wash down the steroids those mighty men consume with a little round-up ready cocktail. Fucking thug moron stormtroopers.

[L0oniX]

30. Our future police force.

[Generic Other]

33. Have gun will travel

Have gun will travel reads the card of a man/A knight without armor in a savage land/His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind/A soldier of fortune is a man called Paladin...

[G_j]

7. very serious

not at all a good portend of the future.
It's all about crushing desent. It can only get worse!

[patrice]

11. I absolutely understand everyone's concerns about government collecting information too, BUT,

I ask you (other than 10s of millions of people in the streets 24/7/365), WHOM do we have to counter the nearly absolute (because they're absolutely private/secret AND nation-less) powers of corporations???

At least with government we have the theoretical hammer of public pressure and the vote, not so with corporations.

[G_j]

15. not exactly following, but

I think we agree that privatizing covert operations against activists is even worse than the government doing it, as there is even less accountability (hard to believe that's possible, but..)

But isn't it all pretty much "illegal" to begin with?

[patrice]

23. We agree; you said it better than I did & all of us know there's one "legal" for some and another

"legal" for other$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I'm not sure that relativity of the law is actually avoidable (it's not possible nor desirable to write perfect laws for absolutely everything), but it ought to be at least universally honestly recognized and reduced constantly to only what is necessary to implement justice as best we can for as many individuals as possible. That's an unending eternal task no matter who is in power.

[G_j]

31. and it's pretty obvious

what kind of doors the use of terms like potential terrorist open to the overriding of civil liberties. It's far too easy to target
desent itself.

[dmr]

8. They changed their name again?

This news truly makes me sick to my stomach.

Where are those passionate "freedom loving" teabaggers on this? Oh, yea, I know, their shadowy corporate leaders consider this the rights of a free market.

Wonder how many drones Blackwater own.

[patrice]

9. I'd bet that's only the tip of a big iceberg of that kind of corporate activity. nt

[BrotherIvan]

13. I know large firms use mercenaries agains competitive companies

In some cases, murdering executives. But spying and infiltrating grass roots organizations is just scary beyond words. Storm troopers against food activists? Monsato and big ag are a cancer on this planet and an enemy of the people.

HOW IS THIS LEGAL?

[Downwinder]

14. They also hire people to infiltrate and spy on unions.

[BrotherIvan]

16. So disgusting

But honestly, how is this legal? Couldn't a citizen bring a privacy case or intimidation case against them? This is most definitely shutting down dissent. I hope there's some way to counter all this evil.

[byeya]

10. And I bet we're paying for it with our tax dollars because Monsanto will say hiring Blackwater

is a business expense.

[patrice]

18. ... as will also be the expense of attorneys to defend them from breaking the law and, which attorne

ys can very likely be in jeopardy themselves if they break corporate rules and put ALL of the pieces together to see what is actually happening.

[mtasselin]

12. nra

Where is the nra, they talk about the constitution so much, I wonder if they know that it has more than just the 2nd amendment. Come to think of it where were they when the anti-patriot act was passed.

[patrice]

24. Huge! f-ing K&R for FOUR fingers!!!! nt

[underpants]

17. Yep knew this was coming - seed money from the Feds to create a private Army

Bush even mentioned in a SOTU speech that the Executive branch should have it's own military.
I always thought Blackwater was funded to give the gilded crowd a ready military force.

[patrice]

21. Which is one of the reasons that McCain made sure that that Indefinite Detention clause

was written into the 2010 NDAA under the Sec Def, since, depending upon the specific circumstances of certain potential types of events, responsibility for implementing the detentions might go to military (who COULD be resistant in its own ways to detaining American citizens under unjust circumstances) - or - the responsibility to detain could go to PRIVATE contractors who have already shown that they will do ANYTHING for money and many of whom probably already have dual citizenships.

[L0oniX]

28. Legal kidnaping ...next?

[underpants]

38. I did not know that element of the story

Thank you patrice

[Berlum]

19. Corporate Facism (R)

Plain, simple, ugly.

[sabrina 1]

20. Blackwater, a murderous mercenary organization responsible for and convicted of murder in Iraq

being used by Monsanto. I thought that criiminal organization was not allowed to operate among civilized people anymore??

Do we have a government of the people in the this country anymore? Who is protecting the people?

When robo cops beat OWS protesters nearly to death, only the UN tried to protect them, our own government was silent. Not a single criminal who wrongfully endangered the lives of those peaceful protesters has been held accountable so far.

Are we on our own? If so why do we bother with the farce that we have a government of the people anymore?

[perdita9]

22. Where do I sign up to be an anti-GMO activist?

Because, right now, I really want to be one.

[Ilsa]

26. Reverse it.

Anti-Monsanto people need to infiltrate Blackwater.

[donquijoterocket]

32. where

Would you find someone sane enough to be anti-Monsanto who's still insane enough to infiltrate Blackwater/Xe/Academi? My impression was that they hire mostly ex-lifers which, in this ex-draftees opinion, denotes mental incapacity by itself.The lifer part not the ex part.

[Ilsa]

36. If all they hire is

Ex-lifers, then yeah, no way it will happen.

As far as suffering through employment there, people do it all the time, having to work at banks, corporations, etc that subtly spew rightwing bullshit. They do it to pay the bills.

[AnalystInParadise]

41. Actually as a retired lifer

I find that slightly offensive. Most Blackwater people, not leadership, but most trigger pullers are young toughs that got cashed out of the military for some reason, usually behavioral. Please don't impugn those of us who did twenty years who want nothing to do with Blackwater. I might be a Defense Contractor but I am a teacher for the military now, not some hired thug like those dirt bags.

[L0oniX]

27. United States of Monstanto. Meet your overlord.

[Vinnie From Indy]

37. It will be funny when the FBI undercover guys entrap the Monsanto guys

because both will be trying so hard to bust somebody. They will feed each others Frankenstein if you will.

[Octafish]

39. What could go wrong?

For the 1-percent?

Nothing, which is the point of spying on those who oppose them.

Mixing CIA inside information with private enterprise ensures the rich will keep getting richer.

[HiPointDem]

42. 2nd name change for Blackwater...