SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Amid reports that President Donald Trump is "showing renewed interest" in Blackwater founder Erik Prince's plan to hand the war in Afghanistan over to a private army led by an "American viceroy," MSNBC on Friday happily gave the notorious war profiteer a cushy platform to make his nonsensical and dangerous pitch to the president almost entirely unchallenged.
"Trumponomics: What's better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer's dime."
--David Rothkopf"Shame on MSNBC for giving Erik Prince a megaphone," Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, wrote on Twitter following Prince's interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "He belongs in The Hague, not spewing his warmongering for profit filth on television."
Highlighting the failure of both the deadly "conventional" approach the U.S. has taken in Afghanistan over the past 16 years and Prince's plan to continue the war for profit, Miles went on to suggest an option that--for obvious reasons--Mitchell and Prince both ignored, one that is virtually never aired on corporate media networks like MSNBC.
"What if--hear me out--instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it," Miles wrote. "Crazy, I know."
\u201cWhat if - hear me out - instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it. Crazy, I know. But, maybe... #EndEndlessWar\u201d— Stephen Miles (@Stephen Miles) 1534526249
Watch Prince's full appearance on MSNBC, during which the infamous mercenary was asked for his thoughts on Omarosa but wasn't once seriously challenged on his "prescription for endless war":
Prince's appearance on MSNBC came shortly after NBC News reported that Trump is growing increasingly impatient with his own administration's strategy and looking toward Prince--the brother of billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos--for possible alternatives.
"The fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free and poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country."
--Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch
"When Prince's plan had Trump's attention in 2017, it had the backing of his former strategist Steve Bannon and the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner," NBC reported.
In recent meetings, Trump "has pressed his advisers about Afghanistan progress" and expressed interest in Prince's plan to privatize the war, NBC noted, citing anonymous administration officials.
As usually happens when Prince makes his periodic appearances on corporate news shows to tout his opportunistic, for-profit war plan, critics were quick to highlight his horrendous track-record and argue that his plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan would lead to even less oversight and more bloodshed.
\u201cAs head of Blackwater, Erik Prince\u2019s mercenaries committed multiple war crimes in Iraq and were convicted for their involvement in the Nissour Square massacre that killed 17 civilians. He deserves an investigation, not contracts to wage a private war in Afghanistan.\u201d— Rep. Ro Khanna (@Rep. Ro Khanna) 1534537236
\u201cCronyism on the battlefield. This is a prescription for endless war.\nhttps://t.co/0SpdXsMX5y\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1534527891
\u201cTrumponomics: What\u2019s better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer\u2019s dime.\u201d— David Rothkopf (@David Rothkopf) 1534524673
\u201cThe fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free & poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country...\nhttps://t.co/yLcBbhlNbB\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1534523804
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Amid reports that President Donald Trump is "showing renewed interest" in Blackwater founder Erik Prince's plan to hand the war in Afghanistan over to a private army led by an "American viceroy," MSNBC on Friday happily gave the notorious war profiteer a cushy platform to make his nonsensical and dangerous pitch to the president almost entirely unchallenged.
"Trumponomics: What's better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer's dime."
--David Rothkopf"Shame on MSNBC for giving Erik Prince a megaphone," Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, wrote on Twitter following Prince's interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "He belongs in The Hague, not spewing his warmongering for profit filth on television."
Highlighting the failure of both the deadly "conventional" approach the U.S. has taken in Afghanistan over the past 16 years and Prince's plan to continue the war for profit, Miles went on to suggest an option that--for obvious reasons--Mitchell and Prince both ignored, one that is virtually never aired on corporate media networks like MSNBC.
"What if--hear me out--instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it," Miles wrote. "Crazy, I know."
\u201cWhat if - hear me out - instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it. Crazy, I know. But, maybe... #EndEndlessWar\u201d— Stephen Miles (@Stephen Miles) 1534526249
Watch Prince's full appearance on MSNBC, during which the infamous mercenary was asked for his thoughts on Omarosa but wasn't once seriously challenged on his "prescription for endless war":
Prince's appearance on MSNBC came shortly after NBC News reported that Trump is growing increasingly impatient with his own administration's strategy and looking toward Prince--the brother of billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos--for possible alternatives.
"The fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free and poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country."
--Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch
"When Prince's plan had Trump's attention in 2017, it had the backing of his former strategist Steve Bannon and the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner," NBC reported.
In recent meetings, Trump "has pressed his advisers about Afghanistan progress" and expressed interest in Prince's plan to privatize the war, NBC noted, citing anonymous administration officials.
As usually happens when Prince makes his periodic appearances on corporate news shows to tout his opportunistic, for-profit war plan, critics were quick to highlight his horrendous track-record and argue that his plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan would lead to even less oversight and more bloodshed.
\u201cAs head of Blackwater, Erik Prince\u2019s mercenaries committed multiple war crimes in Iraq and were convicted for their involvement in the Nissour Square massacre that killed 17 civilians. He deserves an investigation, not contracts to wage a private war in Afghanistan.\u201d— Rep. Ro Khanna (@Rep. Ro Khanna) 1534537236
\u201cCronyism on the battlefield. This is a prescription for endless war.\nhttps://t.co/0SpdXsMX5y\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1534527891
\u201cTrumponomics: What\u2019s better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer\u2019s dime.\u201d— David Rothkopf (@David Rothkopf) 1534524673
\u201cThe fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free & poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country...\nhttps://t.co/yLcBbhlNbB\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1534523804
Amid reports that President Donald Trump is "showing renewed interest" in Blackwater founder Erik Prince's plan to hand the war in Afghanistan over to a private army led by an "American viceroy," MSNBC on Friday happily gave the notorious war profiteer a cushy platform to make his nonsensical and dangerous pitch to the president almost entirely unchallenged.
"Trumponomics: What's better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer's dime."
--David Rothkopf"Shame on MSNBC for giving Erik Prince a megaphone," Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, wrote on Twitter following Prince's interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "He belongs in The Hague, not spewing his warmongering for profit filth on television."
Highlighting the failure of both the deadly "conventional" approach the U.S. has taken in Afghanistan over the past 16 years and Prince's plan to continue the war for profit, Miles went on to suggest an option that--for obvious reasons--Mitchell and Prince both ignored, one that is virtually never aired on corporate media networks like MSNBC.
"What if--hear me out--instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it," Miles wrote. "Crazy, I know."
\u201cWhat if - hear me out - instead of privatizing the war in #Afghanistan, we ended it. Crazy, I know. But, maybe... #EndEndlessWar\u201d— Stephen Miles (@Stephen Miles) 1534526249
Watch Prince's full appearance on MSNBC, during which the infamous mercenary was asked for his thoughts on Omarosa but wasn't once seriously challenged on his "prescription for endless war":
Prince's appearance on MSNBC came shortly after NBC News reported that Trump is growing increasingly impatient with his own administration's strategy and looking toward Prince--the brother of billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos--for possible alternatives.
"The fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free and poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country."
--Jeffrey St. Clair, CounterPunch
"When Prince's plan had Trump's attention in 2017, it had the backing of his former strategist Steve Bannon and the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner," NBC reported.
In recent meetings, Trump "has pressed his advisers about Afghanistan progress" and expressed interest in Prince's plan to privatize the war, NBC noted, citing anonymous administration officials.
As usually happens when Prince makes his periodic appearances on corporate news shows to tout his opportunistic, for-profit war plan, critics were quick to highlight his horrendous track-record and argue that his plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan would lead to even less oversight and more bloodshed.
\u201cAs head of Blackwater, Erik Prince\u2019s mercenaries committed multiple war crimes in Iraq and were convicted for their involvement in the Nissour Square massacre that killed 17 civilians. He deserves an investigation, not contracts to wage a private war in Afghanistan.\u201d— Rep. Ro Khanna (@Rep. Ro Khanna) 1534537236
\u201cCronyism on the battlefield. This is a prescription for endless war.\nhttps://t.co/0SpdXsMX5y\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1534527891
\u201cTrumponomics: What\u2019s better than an unwinnable war? An unwinnable war your political cronies can profit from on the taxpayer\u2019s dime.\u201d— David Rothkopf (@David Rothkopf) 1534524673
\u201cThe fact that Reality Winner is going to be sent to prison for 5 years and Erik Prince is still walking free & poised to send his murderous mercenaries into Afghanistan pretty much sums up where we come to as a country...\nhttps://t.co/yLcBbhlNbB\u201d— Jeffrey St. Clair (@Jeffrey St. Clair) 1534523804