Fundamentalist fringe-right creep John Ashcroft is now working for fringe-right private death squad contractor Blackwater (since renamed to try to make people forget it's called Blackwater). Hooray for corruption, crony capitalism, disastrous wingnuttery and U.S. death squads:
Ashcroft's arrival at Xe is yet another clear signal it's not giving up the quest for lucrative government security contracts now that it's no longer owned by founder Erik Prince, even as it emphasizes the side of its business that trains law enforcement officers. In September, it won part of a $10 billion State Department contract to protect diplomats, starting with the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. Ashcroft, a U.S. senator before becoming attorney general in the Bush administration, is a very known quantity to the federal officials that Xe will pitch. Even if he's not lobbying for Blackwater, Ashcroft's addition on the board is meant to inspire confidence in government officials of its newfound rectitude.
[ Wired via Boing Boing ]
Xe is the chemical symbol for xenon, one of the inert (or noble) gases. Neither adjective seems to fit the company or the man.