By contributing writer Catherine Crabill

In 2009, I was the Republican Nominee for the 99th District of Virginia House of Representatives, an incredible story of outlandish backstabbing and intrigue in itself. During that time of running for office, I so alarmed the powers that be by standing on a CHRISTIAN/Constitutional /10th Amendment platform, that the then-Republican candidates for Governor – Bob McDonnell, Lt. Governor – Bill Bolling, Attorney General – Ken Cuccinelli, and Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia – Pat Mullins, felt compelled to hold a joint press conference to denounce me and demanding I quit my run for office.

It was during this time that some residents of Westmoreland County, in the district I was running in, contacted me, alarmed by a Mercenary training facility bribing and muscling their way into their community. They wanted to know what my “position” would be on the matter. So I drove up there and met with a few of those who had banded together to fight this incursion.

These were highly educated, retired professionals from Washington D.C. and as such had taken it upon themselves to do some homework about this group named O’Gara. I must digress to say that their concern was environmental in nature. They didn’t want the run-off of exploded ordinance polluting the creeks and rivers so abundant on what’s known as the “Northern Neck” of Virginia.

They proceeded to tell me that their research, through a FOIA request, had turned up information that soon after Obama came into office, he gave a $900,000,000 contract (that’s nearly a billion!) to Dyncorp to establish these mercenary training facilities/ “schools” around the DC area.

This contract stipulated that these “schools” had to be within a 2-hour radius of Washington, D.C.As this gentleman was describing the locations where Dyncorp had subcontracted to various groups like O’Gara, Blackwater, and others, I saw, in my mind’s eye, a perimeter around D.C. Not knowing what to make of this, I filed it away in my head.

Several months later, I was at my local Farmers Market, manning our Republican booth and handing out information. I took passing notice of a gentleman sitting on the steps of the gazebo behind us and marveled that he had been there so long in the heat of that summer day. Taking a break to get a bottle of water from a vendor in the gazebo, I passed this gentleman and noticed he had a little dog panting feverishly. I offered to get him some water. That’s when I noticed he was wearing a Blackwater tee shirt.

Being the innocent I was back then, it never dawned on me that this person had sat there for hours in the heat within easy earshot of my conversations to keep me under surveillance!

What follows is as close to verbatim as I can remember our conversation:

Catherine: “So, you’re with Blackwater.”

Man: “Yes.”

Catherine: “Oh, you’re the perfect person to ask some questions I have about what is going on in Westmoreland Co. with the O’Gara Group.”

Man: “I don’t think I’ll be much help.”

Catherine: “I understand that Obama has given Dyncorp a billion dollar grant to set up these private security forces in a perimeter around DC.” (I said this like I knew it rather than I was guessing it.)

Man: “Yes.”

Catherine: “Why would Obama need a private security force around DC?”

Man: “We are being put in place to protect against certain terrorist activity.”

Catherine: “What type of terrorist activity could there be that wouldn’t involve our own military?”

Man: “The terrorist activity we anticipate our military is not equipped to handle.”

Catherine: “What type of activity could that possibly be? This is precisely what our military is trained for to protect our country. Oh…would the type of terrorist activity you’re anticipating bear any resemblance to what Janet Napolitano described? Domestic terrorists who are pro-life, conservative, don’t trust their government, etc., is that the type of “terrorist” you’re setting up to protect against?”

Man: “No.”

Catherine: “Well what other type could there be that our military could not handle? Our military are sworn to uphold and defend our Constitution; your group swears no allegiance to anyone except who pays you. Our military would not attack their own citizens; your group would have no such consideration. In addition, you operate with immunity.”

Man: “It’s not like we go around raping people.”

Catherine: “Well that’s good to know!” But you do have a license to kill. Do you consider yourself a patriot?”

Man: “Yes, of course I do. I have a brother who is a Lt. Governor.”

Catherine: “Where?”

Man: “If I told you that you’d be able to find out who I am.”

Catherine: “What is the percentage of Americans in these organizations?”

Man: “About 90% with 10% other nationals.”

Catherine: “These other nationals have no allegiance to our country or our Constitution. Doesn’t that concern you? Don’t you think you may be used against your own countrymen can you imagine being in conflict against our own military?

Man: “No.”

At this point, someone mentioned my name to a person who dropped by the booth for information, so I excused myself and walked away. I looked to walk back two minutes later, and he was gone.

I walked around the market once trying to find him but did not see him. So I walked back to the booth.

I felt impressed by the Lord to give him one of my flyers. An odd thought, in light of the possibility that he was a dangerous character, but then I figured he wouldn’t have any trouble finding out who I was if he didn’t know already! But he was gone. I determined if he came back, I would obey what I felt led to do.

He was a big guy. He seemed to be in his fifties, like me. He was wearing a hat, sunglasses, a Blackwater tee-shirt, and white tennis shoes with a metal NFL insignia attached to the shoelaces. He looked like an ex-football player and had a bearing about him that exuded physical fitness. Our conversation was not adversarial or confrontational, just very direct. He had a smile and kept shaking his head like he was thinking where-did-this-crazy-lady-come-from-and-how-the-hell-does-she-know-about-all-of-this?

After about 15-20 minutes had elapsed, I saw him walking toward me. He stopped in front of me and said…“Do you see this hat, these glasses, this dog?

Catherine: “Yes.”

Man: “It’s called “a beard.” Do you know what a “beard” is?

Catherine: “No.”

Man: “It is meant to help blend in, to go unnoticed. When anyone asks about my Blackwater tee shirt, I always say I got it at a thrift store because I thought it looked cool.

I didn’t have any idea what to say. I was astounded by what he told me, and I was trying to figure out why he was saying it.
At that point, he started to walk away, and that’s when I called out and said… “Here, take one of these (my flyer). You know, if I had a little more time, I would’ve gotten more out of you.”

Man: “Spoken like a politician.”

Catherine: “No, I’m not a politician, I’m a PATRIOT, and I hope you are too!”

In light of the increasing lawlessness of this administration, I resurrected this encounter. I hope that in publishing it, those who need this information will have it to help them connect the ever-increasing, dangerous dots.