Tag: Law and Disorder

Obama’s Comments in Regard to the ATF’s Smuggling of Firearms into Mexico

Obama finally made a public comment about the Gunwalker scandal and, following his usual tradition in speeches, didn’t actually say anything of substance:

My attorney general has made clear that he certainly would not have ordered gun running to be able to pass through into Mexico. … I’m not going to comment on — a on a current investigation. I’ve made very clear my views that that would not be an appropriate step by the ATF, and we’ve got to find out how that happened.

So he’s comment is really that he has no comment. I will say one thing about Obama, he certainly makes an ideal politician. He does nothing, says nothing of substance, and then claims credit for everything that goes well during his term in office. Hell he’s the exact same type of person as every president we’ve had since… well I have no idea but it’s a long time.

The government is doing everything they can to cover up the Gunwalker scandal. They don’t want the fact that they broke the law they’re supposedly upholding by ensuring guns were smuggled into Mexico. Not only were they breaking their own laws but their actions can also be linked directly to two murders. This is why the government shouldn’t be allowed to do anything, everything they touch turns instantly to shit.

If the result of this investigation is anything other than the complete abolition of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) it will be a complete waste of time.

Police Arrest People for Feeding the Hungry in Orlando

It’s often said that people aren’t willing to help others like they used to. Many blame this on the fact that the population has become apathetic since the government involved itself with welfare, Medicare, and Medicade. The belief is people won’t help others because they think the government will do it. Well this is probably part of the reason but I think the other part is the fact the government has basically made it illegal to help others out. Take for instance the organizations Food Not Bombs who have been providing two meals a week in Orlando:

A group called “Food Not Bombs” serves two vegan/vegetarian meals in the Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando FL every week. They server breakfast on Mondays and Dinner on Wednesdays.

Of course what they’re doing is illegal because Orlando has an ordinance against sharing food with a “large group” in a downtown park more than twice a year. On top of that the city is also enforcing this ordinance:

The city of Orlando passed a controversial city ordinance that prohibits sharing food with large groups in a downtown city park more than twice a year. This ordinance was, of course, meant just for the “Food Not Bombs” group that did it twice a week. The group had been fighting the ordinance but lost a legal appeal in April. So they decided to keep serving the homeless and the hungry dispute the fact the ordinance could now be enforced. So far, according to the “Food Not Bombs” website, 13 have been arrest for feeding the homeless and the hungry in the park.

As is the general case when people give the government a big middle finger and decide they will continue helping those in need the government sent in their thugs to arrest the members of Food Not Bombs. Here’s the video of that fun little stunt:

Remember kids you’re not supposed to help those in need. Should you decide to do something as subversive as provide food to the hungry you will be arrested and if you don’t come willingly you will be forced to comply through the judicious use of violence. Shut up slave and do as you’re told.

The author of the linked article of course criticizes the actions of Food Not Bombs for disobeying the rules. It’s not the author’s fault for not understanding that the only way to get change in government is through disobeying their stupid rules. Once enough people are arrested and the public outcry is large enough these types of ordinances usually go away or at the very least the police get sick of enforcing them. It’s amazing how effective clogging up the court system and filling jails will non-violent individuals messes up the authoritarian’s little system.

The Irony is Almost Too Thick

I’m as much a fan of irony as any one man can be but sometimes it’s just too much. The Examiner has an article up that talks about Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy’s claim that “loose” federal gun laws are akin to racism:

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy earlier this month told parishioners at St. Sabina’s Church that federal gun laws are akin to “government-sponsored racism.”

“I want you to connect one more dot on that chain of African-American history in this country, and tell me if I’m crazy: Federal gun laws that facilitate the flow of illegal firearms into our urban centers, across this country, that are killing black and brown children,” he said according to an WMAQ-Channel 5 story that aired Thursday.

Of course anybody who has studied the history of gun laws in the United States knows that guns laws weren’t put into place for “public safety” but to keep newly free blacks from obtaining firearms. Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership (JPFO) put together a video sometime back that explained the racist roots of American gun control. The video can be freely viewed on YouTube:

We’re the Only Ones Forgetful Enough

Anti-gunners want to ban private ownership of firearms but are perfectly OK with the police having guns. This is because the anti-gunners claim that the police are extremely well trained and responsible unlike us lowly peasants. Well as Jay points out the police aren’t nearly as responsible as the anti-gunners believe:

The Seattle Police Department is apologizing for an assault rifle left unattended on the back of a patrol car Monday night, and has launched an investigation into the matter.

[…]

In addition, after an officer got back into the patrol car, it was driven away with the rifle still on the trunk. A woman also saw the rifle and followed the car to try to get the officer’s attention.

I’m unaware of any gun owner who would be so irresponsible as to not only leave an expensive firearm on their trunk but then drive off leaving that firearm on the ground. Unlike the police we who are not members of “the only ones” actually have to pay for our firearms thus we usually take some care of them. Nobody who plunked down $700.00 for a rifle wants to leave it lying on the ground somewhere.

Demonstration such as this make me not only question why anti-gunners aren’t clamoring for a prohibition on police having firearms as well. After all from what I’ve seen the average police officer is no more responsible with a firearm than the individual and oftentimes the police are far less responsible.

How Officers Handle Real Threats

As Uncle aptly points out the police love putting on their SWAT gear and kicking in doors when they’re in pursuit of a criminal who is likely not going to provide much resistance. When federal agents decided to go after James Bulger, a man suspected in 19 murders, the police didn’t storm in his apartment with guns blazing but instead used good old social engineering to lure the man out:

Then, according to people familiar with the case, James “Whitey” Bulger’s 16 years on the run came to an end Wednesday night with a phone call and a lie.

Federal officers arranged for a call to Mr. Bulger in his third-floor apartment to say that his storage locker might have been broken into.

Officers could use similar tactics in many arrests but then they wouldn’t get to toss on the riot gear and play soldier as they kick down your door, run in with guns drawn, and then act surprised that people are appalled at their antics. After all what’s the point of having authority if you don’t get to force people to respect it?

In all seriousness I would appreciate it if police officers would utilize social engineering methods in their arrests instead of brute force. If you trick somebody into coming out so he can be arrested the risk of violence is much lower than kicking in the suspect’s front door during a no-knock raid.

Another Murder Linked to Project Gunwalker

Not surprisingly another murder has been linked to operation Gunwalker:

CBS News has confirmed that ATF Fast and Furious “walked” guns have been linked to the terrorist torture and murder of the brother of a Mexican state attorney general last fall.

Two AK-47 variant rifles were found at the scene of a shoot-out with the murder suspects. Sources say the weapons were part of the controversial ATF program in which agents allowed thousands of guns to fall into the hands of suspects trafficking for Mexico’s drug cartels.

Results like this are typical when government agencies get bright ideas. As government agencies don’t have to obey the same laws that they’re tasked with enforcing they often get ideas that involve allowing criminals to perform illegal actions unhindered. This wouldn’t be so bad if the agency didn’t then turn around and claim the criminal activities they allowed are justification for giving the agency more power.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) really fucked up here. Not only did they allow firearms to knowingly be sold to members of Mexican drug cartels but these same firearms are also being linked to murders. To top it off the ATF has nothing of value to show for these antics making it hard for them to make excuses when inquired. If the United States were a just country the ATF would be disbanded and the heads of the agency would be brought up on charges of breaking numerous American gun laws.

Arizona ATF Documents

Lulz Security recently started going after the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) which has lead to their releasing a large amount of confidential information related to the AZDPS. A torrent of the release can be found here but note that the download comes in at 446MB.

I haven’t had any real time to sift through the information but there were some documents that were obviously related tot he Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that I’ve singled out and uploaded for your viewing pleasure. There are four documents which include an ATF intelligence summary [PDF], a document dealing with drug cartels buying grenades from Central American countries [Microsoft Word Document], a document dealing with outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) [PDF], and a document related directly to project Gunrunner [PDF].

When I get time to sift through these I’ll post up any relevant information but in the meantime you’re more than welcome to download and view the files. There are probably some juicy details to be discovered.

A Series of Tragic Events and Malarkey

Wizardpc over at has a nice writeup about the Jose Guerena murder after reading the Pima County Sheriff’s Department interview of the SWAT supervisor. All in all it appears as through a combination of unfortunate events and bullshit lead to the state murdering an innocent man.

The SWAT team claims that they were using this raid as a training session which is why it appeared to be disorganized on the released video (that’s what people claim, I don’t know enough about SWAT team operations to know a disorganized raid from an organized one). At the same time the SWAT team viewed Mr. Guerena as some kind of epic killing machine for the drug cartels. Mr. Guerena on the other hand had suspicions that drug cartel members were targeting him so he suspected a potential for home invasion.

Reading that it seems to me that the SWAT team is either lying about the potential threat they thought Mr. Guerena posed or that this raid was viewed as a good training exercise. It would seem to me that you shouldn’t send an inexperienced team to deal with somebody who you assumed would be an extremely dangerous man.

Although some would view this interview as shedding light on the situation it I feel is created more questions than answers. Why did the SWAT team members put so much fire down towards Mr. Guerena without him so much as firing a shot? Why was a no knock raid even authorized in the first place (why are they ever authorized really)? Who thought it was a good idea to use a coordinated raid as training? Why is every other word out of their mouths during the interview either “um” or “uh?” OK that last question really isn’t valid to the topic at hand it just bothered me as I read through it.

No matter how you look at it this situation blows. An innocent man was killed all in the name of our stupid war on drugs.

I Have a Cheaper Solution

Hillary Clinton has gone ahead and promised more American dollars to Central American countries to help them fight our drug war:

Mrs Clinton told a regional security conference in Guatemala that the US would increase its aid by more than 10% to nearly $300m (£187m).

Analysts say the figure is still small, given that more than two-thirds of cocaine sent from South America to the US now passes through Central America.

In total, some $1.8bn was promised to support the region’s security.

That’s a lot of taxpayer money just to enforce a prohibition on what people put into their own bodies. Instead of spending billions fighting this needless war, keeping non-violent people imprisoned, and getting people killed enforcing anti-drug laws let’s try something better, let’s just end the prohibition on currently illegal drugs.

Ron Paul and Barney Frank understand this and rumor has it that they’ll introduce a bill to legalize marijuana very soon. This would be the first step in ending the pointless war on drugs and would likely slash the number of people we put into prison every year.

We should have learned our lesson about prohibition during Prohibition. All the war on drugs has accomplished is the waste of untold billions (maybe trillions) of dollars, increase the rate of violent crime, lead to drug cartels gaining enough power to basically overthrow several states (and replace them with even more violence which is the negative part), and swelled our prison population to the highest in the world.

We can’t control what people put into their bodies because simply making something illegal doesn’t stop it from happening (which is why we have criminals by the way).

I Bet He Cures Blindness By Throwing Mud in Your Eyes Too

When I saw this article on the BBC asking why the crime rate in the United States have been dropping I expected no mention would be made of the increase in issuance of carry permits. I’ve come to expect that from the media, especially Britain where guns are almost completely illegal. What I didn’t expect was the theory that our lower crime rate is due to the election of the Obamessiah:

1. The Obama effect could explain the increased pace of the reduction of the last few years, says one of the country’s top criminologists, Alfred Blumstein. “The prior expectation was that the recession would have the opposite effect. The question then is what distinctive event occurred in ’09?” The election of a black president could have inspired some young black men, who are disproportionately involved in arrests for robbery and homicide, says the professor. It’s very speculative, he adds, and probably only one factor of many, as one of the cities with a huge drop in crime is Phoenix, in Arizona, which does not have a large black population. “In the field of criminology, you don’t get consistent indicators as you would in physics. There are so many factors that could have contributed.” A separate study on school test scores supports the view that some black teenagers were motivated to try harder by the new presidency.

Hallelujah brother, it’s a miracle! Our president can cure the blind by throwing mud in their eyes, he can walk on water, he can turn water into wine, and he can lower the crime rate! Seriously could the media suck his… I’ll let you fill in the blank here, any harder? Did Barack personally send the BBC a shipment of hookers and blow?

Before some Obamabot comes on here and claims my heated reaction is just due to the fact that I’m a Republican/Glenn Beck supporter/dirty Satanist/whatever I should state that I’d have the same reaction regardless of what president it was about (also I’m not a Republican or Glenn Beck supporter or dirty Satanist).

Beyond that stupidity the article was written as I expected it. Almost all of the theories stated are attributed to the state and not a single mention was made about liberalized (in the classical definition of the word) carry laws raising the stacks for committing crimes. Regardless of the reason the decline in crime does demonstrate that liberalized (again the classic definition) carry laws don’t lead to higher crime rates and thus enacting stricter gun control laws to curb crime is an exercise in stupidity. This is even more important to note when you consider the fact that liberalized (classical definition) carry laws may be part of the reason crime rates are declining.