Who is the Real Joseph Rice?
Jun 292015At Linked-In Joseph lists his current employer as OCONUS – Afghanistan. OCONUS is the military abbreviation for Outside the Continental United States. However, he has clearly been here, and not currently in Afghanistan since 2013. Furthermore, his posted history does not match reality in other ways as well.
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joseph-rice/3b/a54/388
Not shown in his Linked-In resume is his 3 years as the Director of Operations at Carson Helicopters, a company which shut down its Grants Pass division after 9 firefighters died in one of the most serious firefighter crashes to date. The crash was blamed on falsified helicopter weights which caused pilots to have an illegally small safety margin. This was the company’s standard methods for an extended period of time which caused the pilots to ignore signs of trouble:
"Contributing to the accident was the failure of the flight crew members to address the fact that the helicopter had approached its maximum performance capability on their two prior departures from the accident site because they were accustomed to operating at the limit of the helicopter’s performance."
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1006.pdf
This policy had been going on for some time and was only discovered after the crash was investigated. Pilots ignored sluggish flight due to their normally operating at limits. How did this happen?
http://media.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/other/carson.pdf
Was Joseph Rice the “one manager”? Does this explain why he does not list his employment at Carson Helicopters on his Linked In page? Even if he did not want to make public his position with Carson Helicopters, he was the Director of Operations for the three years, up to ten months before the crash:
Three helicopters hired by the Kim family were working the area, too, said Joseph Rice, operations manager for Carson Helicopters Services Inc. They had been working their way south since Friday looking at roads from Interstate 5 to the coast, where the Kims were headed.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/volunteer-pilots-hunch-led-to-family-missing-in-oregon
Carson Helicopter in Grants Pass has sent four S61 Fire King choppers that hold 1,000 gallons of water, said Joseph Rice, director of operations.
Joseph Rice, director of operations for Oregon-based Carson Helicopters, said previously he had submitted multiple proposals to the state for use of a Sikorsky F-61 chopper for medical evacuation, rescues and natural disasters.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Dec/29/ln/FP612290352.html
Joseph Rice, director of operations for Carson Helicopters, an Oregon-based international aircraft company, said he has submitted more than two dozen proposals to DOH, Gov. Linda Lingle, the Guard and members of the state's congressional delegation.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jun/29/ln/FP606290340.html
Thus Joseph Rice not only managed operations. Joseph Rice was the highest ranked person, and a non-pilot for Carson, as listed on the list of participants for the tragedy:
Burl Brim Aviation
Joseph Rice Carson Helicopters
Bill Coultas Carson Helicopter Co-Pilot
Bill Albers Carson Helicopter Pilot
Bob Higgs Carson Helicopter Co-Pilot
Scott Dunn Carson Helicopter Pilot
Steve Metheny Carson Helicopter Pilot
John Rachor Private Pilot
http://www.kimtragedy.info/OSSA6.pdf
Flying with little or no safety margin was against the FAA/NTSB rules, and was also like gambling on a roulette wheel. Sooner or later there would be a disaster. Would the Operations Director for years be aware of the sluggish response of the helicopters? Would he be the one responsible for setting the standards and routinely pushing pilots to fly near the limits of what was possible?
Would Joseph Rice put good people in harm’s way for profit or glory? Joseph Rice was the "commander" at the Sugar Pine Mine Operation where people were potentially put in harm's way. What really happened at the Sugar Pine Mine?
THE BLACK HELICOPTER INCIDENT
During the Sugar Pine Mine operation, a black helicopter was reported to have touched down, sparking a frantic sense of crisis and alarm, inspiring patriots from around the nation to flock to the site to defend it from this mysterious threat - or to pour cash and material assets into Joseph Rice's coffers.
Let's examine the incidents in more detail. This was posted at the OathKeepersJoCo.com website and then taken down:
http://thelibertybrothers.com/tag/sugar-pine-mine
Although the Oath Keepers website has taken the helicopter incident postings down, the Liberty Brothers still had it up at their site as excerpted above. Joseph Rice personally took responsibility for handling the situation and seeking information about the helicopter.
The maximum range of an MD500 is 290 miles. Thus it had to come from a place less than half that distance away, a maximum of 145 miles.
http://www.mdhelicopters.com/v2/pdfs/products/MD500E_Tech_Desc.pdf
Joseph knew that, as he was an expert witness based on about 2,000 hours flying an MD500.
http://www.ntsb.gov/legal/alj/OnODocuments/Aviation/5619.PDF
It turns out that there is an MD500 owned and operated by Brim Aviation:
http://www.brimaviation.com/?page_id=76
In fact, one of the helicopters shown at the Brim Website is black with red on its belly, as described in the posting. The apparent red is lettering of some sort, but it does look sort of like a stripe on the bottom of the fuselage.
http://www.brimaviation.com/ and https://web.archive.org/web/20141126102648/http://www.brimaviation.com/
Burl Brim of Brim Aviation has worked together with Joseph Rice before on training of Chinese Police pilots, as disclosed earlier.
It strains credibility that Joseph Rice would not be able to find out if there is an MD500 operating out of a base since it was limited to a range of 145 miles or less from Merlin. There are few helicopter bases within that range. A check of the FAA Registry shows that there are only 6 helicopters matching either description in Josephine and Jackson Counties and it gives their owners’ names and addresses. There is only one in Douglas County. There aren’t that many helicopters that it could have been.
There are only 6 helicopters that currently fit the JoCo Oath Keepers posted description in all of Josephine and Jackson counties. Their owners are listed here in a database maintained by the FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/statecounty_inquiry.aspx . Even a little checking would have found the pilot. The fact that no results were reported to the volunteers or the media suggests that the result of any search that might have been made was covered up.
There are no pictures of the black helicopter to read the N-number off of because all personnel at the mine were first required to give up their cell phones and cameras, to be locked in a box until they left the site. Thus nothing that went on at the site could be photographed except under strict supervision. Furthermore, all personnel were removed from the lookout points on the ridge before the helicopter approached, so nobody could see which direction it came from or where it went afterward. Why personnel would be removed from the ridge is an important question, as the operation needed to have lookouts on duty to watch for incursion from the BLM.
Given the evidence, it is certainly possible that Joseph Rice and associates orchestrated the helicopter incident as a bit of theater to escalate the sense of "crisis". Repeated pleas for donations, especially cash, were emphasized by the 'scary' black helicopter appearance.
WHAT IS JOSEPH RICE'S MILITARY EXPERIENCE?
The POW Network ( http://www.pownetwork.org ) had a list of people who had embellished their military records or made them up. These cases of “Stolen Valor” were investigated using FOIA requests and then recorded there. http://www.fakewarriors.org They unfortunately took the list down due to the workload of properly maintaining it: http://www.fakewarriors.org/names.htm
Fortunately there was somebody who looked up the records for Joseph Rice earlier and posted it as a quote from the site.
We do not know if the person who saved this was reliable, nor do we know if the Fake Warriors site was accurate. It could be in error. Nevertheless this is what the person says that he found there and saved:
http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1255.htm
R2 POW phonies
"One version claims that he was a medivac pilot flying Huey's in Desert Storm, and was shot down and held for seven days as a POW. The other version was that he evaded through northern Iraq after being shot down until he made it to the Turkish border. Regardless of which version he tells, he claims he has two Purple Hearts. He goes on to claim that he flew MH-6's (little birds) for the 160th - 160th SOAR (special ops aviation), and did secret missions in Central America. Some versions of his stories are that he was with the SOAR when he was shot down, captured, etc... He has also claimed that he was with the 160th when he was shot down in Iraq. He claims to have retired from military service as a CW4.
Actual records:He was a Huey pilot for the Maine National Guard from 1986 to 1997. He was called to active duty for Desert Storm for two months, and never left the country. His highest award is the Reserve Component Achievement Medal, and he never rose above the rank of CW2"
Joseph A. Rice lived in Maine and so that is consistent with the person described above who served in the Maine National Guard. It is consistent with his previous addresses: http://www.advancedbackgroundchecks.com/joseph+rice/OP-210599711 .
Joseph Anthony Rice does not appear to be listed in the public Purple Heart registries either; however not every Purple Heart recipient is listed there. http://www.thepurpleheart.com/recipient
Did Joseph Rice serve in the American military overseas? Or was he perhaps working for Blackwater, a mercenary contractor overseas and not in the US Military?
BLACKWATER
Joseph Rice has stated many times that he had worked for the mercenary contractor Blackwater. There is a second Oath Keeper in their inner circle who similarly claims to be a Blackwater contractor (Mitch Williamson). They are often seen proudly wearing their Blackwater t-shirts.
In the case of Blackwater, its head was Eric Prince, who has fled the US and is currently providing "security contractor services" to Middle East potentates and financial interests. They historically included fire fighting services, security, logistics and training in their public image.
"Prince currently heads a private equity firm called Frontier Resource Group and is chairman of Frontier Services Group Ltd, a Bermuda-incorporated logistics and transport company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Frontier Services Group is backed by China's state-owned CITIC Group and Hong Kong-based investor Chun Shun Ko."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince
Apparently Eric Prince is not above working for Chinese government interests as well.
There is a difference between a soldier and a mercenary. A soldier has to answer ultimately to a government. He is not in it for profit, even if he can make a living on the salary offered. There is no financial upside to become rich at being a soldier. He works only for his nation and nobody else, so there is no financial conflict of interest.
In contrast, a mercenary will work for whoever pays the bill and whoever they want to. They are free to follow the money. They have a financial upside. They can be very well paid for their services. One time services can be for one nation, and later it can be for that nation’s enemy. It can be done for an individual or any group. Their services are for sale to whoever the boss of it chooses for whatever the customer will pay.
Which jobs are taken all depend on the moral substance of the commander who controls the company. They can get away with shadowy acts that the military cannot. If something violent or unscrupulous needs to be done, and done without any oversight, then they can do it while the military cannot.
Despite Blackwater’s American patriot image, this above-the-law and outside-the-country mindset has plagued the moral guidance of the company.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/erik-prince-blackwater-united-arab-emirates_n_862098.html
Even with the best of intentions, a mercenary is acting as a law unto himself.
Anticipating a societal and economic breakdown in the US, the Oath Keepers have changed from their original mission. A little over a year ago the Oath Keepers had a goal of encouraging military, police, and others who have served, to use their own conscience and refrain from enforcing orders that were unconstitutional. This approach has a long and noble history of civil disobedience. The essence of its purpose was to reach out and encourage each individual to follow his or her conscience, guided by their own study and understanding of the Constitution.
After the Bundy Ranch, that guiding light of purpose started to change. Now after the Sugar Pine Mine "Security Operation" the evolution of the Oath Keepers has changed it and its fund raising methods significantly.
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." - Rahm Emanuel
Instead of following one’s own conscience and interpretation of the Constitution, it now has become a paramilitary enforcer of what the management personally interprets the Constitution to mean, standing guard with guns to shoot Federal officers if necessary to enact their interpretation of the Constitution. Every confrontation has meant new cash and recruits into the Oath Keepers.
The head of the Josephine County chapter Joseph Rice has gone from referring to himself as a Coordinator, to “COMMAND”.
http://www.oathkeepersjoco.com/index.php
and
https://web.archive.org/web/20150621200819/http://www.oathkeepersjoco.com/index.php
Are the Oath Keepers now a law unto themselves? Has the organization morphed into a structure more reminiscent of an Afghanistan warlord than our America?
The vast membership of the Oath Keepers are all sworn to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic. But what do they do when some of their own leadership have sought to secretly serve foreign interests in China with "undivided loyalty"? Are they willing to sacrifice their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for interests other than America’s?
When the Federal Government wants something done with plausible deniability, agencies such as Blackwater are contracted to get the job done. This tight-knit relationship between Blackwater and the Federal agencies extends well beyond military actions - it also includes intelligence gathering.
Joseph Rice's Sugar Pine Mine operation called together the staunchest patriot groups, and collected personal data on their leaders and members, to form a database that Rice personally took possession of. Did those group leaders even know about Rice's background and connections with Blackwater, the Federal Government and the Chinese Government?
Just what is real about Joseph Rice? Would a real patriot offer to confidentially acquire helicopters for the Chinese government “with undivided loyalty” to that client? Would a patriot train Chinese “police officers” in advanced US helicopter techniques and procedures? Would a small-government crusader be getting a $4,160,000 Federal earmark for his flimsy and foreign based "company"? Would he be doing it as a minority partner with two other majority partners who are residents in the Far East.
What is the truth about Joseph Rice? Can he be trusted?