Erik "Blackwater" Prince: What are his Michigan roots?...

**Al Publican** · August-26-10, 06:02 PM

I see where Erik Prince formerly of Blackwater, now Xe, has fled to Dubai[[?) to regroup. NY Times pieces have cited him as being of Michigan automotive family wealth.

In my fifty years of living in Detroit until some years ago, I can't recall reading in automotive news about someone named Prince. Is his family from western Michigan or SE Mich?

**Novine** · August-26-10, 06:47 PM

Western Michigan, Holland specifically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince

**Patrick** · August-26-10, 07:16 PM

He's from Amway Dutch country AKA: Michigan's Bible Belt.

**Farrer** · August-26-10, 09:09 PM

He's from Holland, yes. "Amway Dutch country AKA Michigan's Bible Belt" mixes SE MI/WE MI rivalry/resentment w/generalized/confused facts.

W/o backchecking the wiki, this I already know. His older sister Betsy is married to Dick DeVos, former republican gubernatorial candidate and son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos. She was also MI GOP party chairperson for many a year. The company, Prince Automotive was an offshoot of Prince Machine, or somethingorother, and started in the OEM supply chain providing visors to the industry. That later spread to many other things, such as center consoles, the pod within which I was jobbed into as a temp and where I was working when they brought him through as a young jarhead/Navy Seal or whatever. The company founder and father Robt.[[?) Prince died in the elevator on his way to his executive offices. His wife Elsa not too long afterwards sold the automotive division to Johnson Controls for a high-water price somewhere around 2.35 bil.

**fryar** · August-26-10, 09:14 PM

So she was the GOP chairperson, and then they nominated her husband as gubernatorial candidate?
It's good to be Prince as well, apparently.

**dtowncitylover** · August-26-10, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by Farrer

He's from Holland, yes. "Amway Dutch country AKA Michigan's Bible Belt" mixes SE MI/WE MI rivalry/resentment w/generalized/confused facts.

I've never been a fan of those Calvinist nederlanders, anyways. Some of them look like they should be in Whoville.

Grand Rapids can be nice though.

**Jimaz** · August-26-10, 10:43 PM

This is a contrived fishing expedition.

Hi, Erik! Please add me to your list.

**kryptonite** · August-27-10, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

I've never been a fan of those Calvinist nederlanders, anyways. Some of them look like they should be in Whoville.

Grand Rapids can be nice though.

Thanks a lot, I'm Dutch and Calvinist on my mother's side.

I think EP is an unspeakable and evil piece of sh*t.

I hope Xe dies a miserable death.

And furthermore I think he was just a bitch for Duh-bya. Blackwater intentionally abused any 'authority' Blackwater had.

Look at the evil-looking Blackwater logo, the sinister name, the menacing look of their compound in NC and all aspects of that company. IMO he has found a way to profit from doing the work of any devil there might be. And I lean heavily toward the atheist end of the spectrum, so to me if there even are demons they are people like EP.

**Al Publican** · August-29-10, 05:23 PM

I read Erik Prince comes from a Michigan automotive family, and that is where his fortune to start Blackwater, now Xe, came from. Having at one time in SE Mich, mostly in Detroit, for a half century and being an avid reader of automobile articles and books like David Halberstam's "The Reckoning," I can't say that I remember ever hearing about a Prince family in the car biz.

Anyone know about the Prince family automobile background? [[I thought I posted this query here earlier this week, but it must have been on another site that I haven't checked back on.)

Erik Prince reportedly has moved his security company operation to Dubai.

**Detroitej72** · August-29-10, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

I see where Erik Prince formerly of Blackwater, now Xe, has fled to Dubai[[?) to regroup.

Anyone else see the irony of a radical Protestant fleeing to a Muslim country to regroup?

lilpup · August-29-10, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

Anyone else see the irony of a radical Protestant fleeing to a Muslim country to regroup?

Not all that ironic really. Social philosophies aren't all that different, Islam is also an Abrahamic faith [[it's a refinement of Christianity in the same manner Christianity is of Judaism), and he's going to a money-laden crowd that will let him abuse his authority amongst those of whom they disapprove.

**Al Publican** · August-29-10, 11:58 PM

I feel a Michigan purge coming on...

**maxx** · August-30-10, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitej72

Anyone else see the irony of a radical Protestant fleeing to a Muslim country to regroup?

Dubai caters to tourists so it's not your average muslim theocracy. They even allow alcohol.
http://www.grapeshisha.com/tourist-g...-in-Dubai.html

**gnome** · August-30-10, 08:00 AM

Not a big fan of Mr. Prince, but one should tip their hat to a guy who, dispite being the scion to a multi-million fortune, walks away and enlists as a NavySeal. Those Seals washout 70% of all the hard asses who sign up. Tougher than Rangers, Airborn, and Marines.

This is a guy who could have led a playboy life, bu the took the toughest road possible. Again I'm not a fan of all of his far right politics, but if judged in a vacuum, he is one very determined man.

oh yeah, he went to school at Calvin College. andyes sister betsy is the eva braun of michigan