Friday, January 18, 2008
FR. ROBERT SIRICO
I don't tend to pay a lot of attention to politics. Consequently when Susanna sent me some information on Blackwater, it was all news to me. I recognized the name but knew nothing about the details. Her articles were a crash course, so if I'm boring you with details, please forgive.
The Blackwater "Company Core Values" webpage doesn't hint in the text what the company provides, but the picture tells a thousand words, though the picture didn't come up the second time I accessed the website. The video webpage spells it out in prettyfied detail. This is a private police force that answers not to a government, but to a private business structure that presumably is in business for profit.
Sourcewatch fills in the details of the workings of this private military business, including the information that the company hires mercenaries from third world countries and that in October 2007 the "U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Henry Waxman said Blackwater 'may have engaged in significant tax evasion'" by avoiding 'paying millions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment and related taxes for which it is legally responsible.'"
The article tells us that Erik Prince co-founded the company.
A New York Times article tells us that Erik Prince is the brother of Betsy DeVos...she of the Amway fortune, and of the Board of the Acton Institute according to Wikipedia, but no longer shown on the Board at the Acton Institute website. I guess she has been demoted.
In any event, Prince's Freiheit Foundation has contributed to the Acton Institute to the tune of $219,200 according to Media Mouse It has contributed to other conservative Catholic organizations as well. Just read through the list. One of them happens to be a $50,000 contribution to St. Philip Neri House. You remember that place, don't you? It's Fr. Sirico's own personal religious institution--the one that prompted Randy Engel to write the Sirico Brief.
Think about it. A Catholic religious house funded by Blackwater money.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
