Tag: Law and Disorder

Family of Murdered Border Patrol Agent Want the ATF Prosecuted

Things have heated up for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). An investigation has been called for and the head of the ATF may have to resign and everybody else will likely get a congratulations and complimentary pat on the pack for their work in suppressing our rights. But as Uncle points out not everybody is happy with simply giving the ATF a slap on the wrist:

The idea was that once the weapons in Mexico were traced back to the straw purchasers, the entire arms smuggling network could be brought down. Instead, the report argues, letting the weapons slip into the wrong hands was a deadly miscalculation that resulted in preventable deaths, including that of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Terry was killed last year north of the Mexican border in Arizona after confronting bandits believed to be preying on illegal immigrants. Two weapons found near the scene of the killing were traced to Fast and Furious.

“I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe it at first,” Terry’s mother, Josephine, said when she learned the ATF may have let some of the guns used in the attack slip through its fingers. Terry’s relatives said they want all those involved in his killing and who helped put the weapons in their hands to be prosecuted.

“We ask that if a government official made a wrong decision, that they admit their error and take responsibility for his or her actions,” Robert Heyer, Terry’s cousin and family spokesman, said in a hearing last week by the House panel.

I wish Terry’s family the best of luck but alas I’m guessing they’re more likely to receive a lesson in the evils of statism than receive any compensation for the murder of their family member. The government has a habit of protecting their own which has lead to many government agencies literally getting away with murder without so much as an apology.

Iowa Sheriff Intimidating Businesses in Attempt to Get Them to Ban Guns on Their Property

Iowa’s law involving the issuance of carry permits changed and now people living in that state are able to obtain a legal means of self-defense without requiring permission from their local sheriff. One local sheriff though is pissed that the state has usurped his authority and is trying to intimidate business owners into banning firearms from their property:

A letter to approximately 600 Marion businesses along with “no weapons allowed” stickers is kicking up a fuss with one conservative group.

The letter to businesses in Marion last week was sent by Marion Police Chief Harry Daugherty. It referred to changes in Iowa code that no longer allow sheriffs to mandate concealing weapons when a permit holder is out in public. That change in gun permit policy took effect January 1st.

The letter from Chief Daugherty urged businesses to ban weapons from private property to “make both (business and police) our jobs easier.” The chief also included two “no weapons allowed” stickers for businesses to place on the front doors if they agreed with his recommendation.

It seems Sheriff Daugherty believes that his life and lives of his officers is easier if people are defenseless. I guess this makes sense if he believes his job is to force the citizenry to comply with his demands and being he’s acting like an authoritarian asshole I’m pretty sure that’s what he believes his job to be. But here’s the kicker:

But Chief Daugherty argued what he authorized was education and not politics. The chief said unless businesses post a “no weapons” notice in a visible location police can’t enforce any trespassing rules against anyone bringing a weapon inside.

According to Daugherty if somebody is carrying a weapon the police can’t enforce any trespassing laws against him or her. The implication I get from this is if somebody is being unruly the police will not remove that person if they’re carrying a firearm. That’s a great little intimidation factor if I’ve ever seen one.

So where Daugherty get the money to print these stickers? At first I thought it was the taxpayers which would have been ironic as Daugherty would have been using violence in order to supposedly prevent violence. Well he didn’t use tax money but the source of his money is through violent means:

And Daugherty also said the $600 cost of the printing and mail wasn’t tax dollars. Rather, the chief used money confiscated in drug raids and other seizures to pay the cost. Those dollars typically go for purchases not on the department’s budget.

Will you look at that, the drug war at work paying for yet another authoritarian power trip. Obviously second amendment supporters are talking about boycotting any businesses that put up those stickers and it appears as though some business owners don’t recognize how strongly many of us like our right to self-defense:

But Rich Foens, owner of Smitty’s Shoe Repair, said he wasn’t that concerned when he posted the sticker from Marion Police.

“I don’t see anybody so strong on the other side they’re going to boycott your business because of it,” Foens said.

As an advocate of the ability to defend yourself I do feel strongly enough where I’ll boycott a business because they don’t respect my life enough to allow me to carry a means of self-defense onto their property. I respect your property rights enough that I’m willing to do business with your competitors should you chose to bar me my rights though so you’ll not have to worry about my patronage or the patronage of many gun owners.

That’s Not Really a Victory

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been buy arming Mexican drug cartels which has lead to a hearing. As with most government hearings on the illegal actions of government I expected these hearings to go nowhere and accomplish nothing of consequence. It appears as though I was right:

The Justice Department is expected to oust the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to people familiar with the matter, amid a troubled federal antitrafficking operation that has grown into the agency’s biggest scandal in nearly two decades.

Moves toward the replacement of Kenneth Melson, acting ATF director since April 2009, could begin next week, although the precise sequence of events remains to be decided, these people said.

Yup. The ATF actively arms Mexican drug cartels, claims that they need more authority to stop the traffic of firearms going from the United States to the drug cartels, and now the only thing that will happen is the head of the ATF will be replaced. That should teach them (sarcasm for those who didn’t catch it).

This is one of many reasons that government agencies remain unaccountable. When a government agency does something naughty we have a different government entity rule on the validity of the agency’s actions. Since the entity judging the agency’s actions is also a part of the government generally the agency’s actions are deem legitimate. When the actions are deemed illegitimate nothing of consequence happens and instead one or two people are shuffled around so the next person can continue doing illegitimate shit for a while until he or she is caught red handed as well.

SWAT Team Cleared in Murder of Former Marine

Remember the SWAT team in Arizona that stormed into Jose Guerena’s home and put 70 rounds into his home? Remember how I said the SWAT team was likely to receive nothing more than a paid vacation followed by clearance to return to duty? Well I hate being right in these cases:

The SWAT team that gunned down a former Marine in his Tucson, Ariz., home was cleared today of any wrongdoing in the incident.

Jose Guerena, 26, was killed in a hail of bullets from the SWAT team, which broke down the door to his home on May 5 while trying to serve a search warrant as part of a home invasion probe.

Guerena did not fire a single shot in the incident, but Pima County Chief Criminal Deputy Attorney David Berkman said in the report issued today that the five SWAT team members were justified in using deadly force because the former Marine pointed his weapon at them.

You have to admire how the fact that Mr. Guerena was pointing a weapon at the SWAT team because they came busting into his home is completely ignored. Mr. Guerena never fired a shot, likely because he was either identifying his assailants or because he had identified them but was unable to lower his weapon before being riddled with bullets. Oh, and get this:

“A close examination of the rifle revealed it appeared to have been damaged by being fired upon from such an angle that it must have been pointed toward officers,” Berkman wrote. “The officers were mistaken in believing Mr. Guerena fired at them. However, when Mr. Guerena raised the AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle in their direction, they needed to take immediate action to stop the deadly threat against them.”

Emphasis mine. They were mistaken that Mr. Guerena fired at them? How do you make that kind of fucking mistake? An AR-15 is a fairly loud weapon especially when fired indoors and although I realize those SWAT team helmets likely muffle some sound I don’t think they can muffle gun fire as you can hear human voiced through the damned things. And the outrage doesn’t stop there ladies and gentlemen:

He said “many guns” were found in the house, including the AR-15 that Guerena was holding, another rifle and a handgun. Body armor and a U.S. Border Patrol hat also were found, he said.

“He was well-armed, well armored,” Krygier said.

But when asked if Guerena was wearing body armor at the time of his death, he said, “No. … He basically had a pair of boxer briefs on and that was it.”

What the fuck does that have to do with anything? I understand you SWAT team members made a huge fucking mistake and are trying to improve your image any way you can but trying to sully the image of Mr. Guerena but making him sound like a man up to something is disgusting. Owning firearms and body armor is irrelevant to the case beyond the point that it makes Mr. Guerena look crazy in the eyes of many people.

Either way I’m not at all surprised by this result. The police can get away with murder, literally, because the same legal system that employs them also determines the validity of their actions. When you get to determine the validity of your own actions you can get away with anything as this story proves.

The ATF Has Been Busy

It looks like the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) have been busy in their operation to supply guns to Mexican drug cartels. Apparently the ATF have allowed over 1,700 guns to fall into the hands of known criminals:

At least 195 of the weapons have been traced to Mexico, found mainly at crime scenes, but ATF agents quoted in the report said more than 1,700 firearms were trafficked “to known criminals or cartel elements south of the border and elsewhere” under the operation.

“I cannot see anyone who has one iota of concern for human life being OK with this,” Agent John Dodson told committee interviewers.

I’m guessing they’ve allowed far more than 1,700 to cross into drug cartel hands but I’m also a cynical ass when it comes to government. The entire gun walker operation is interesting to me because of its implications. The ATF have been asking for increased enforcement powers because gun from the United States apparently have been crossing the border. The source of those guns is the interesting thing though as it seems to be the ATF itself. It would not be unprecedented for a government agency to manufacture a crisis and then use it to obtain more power for itself (like the FBI providing fake bombs to people and then egging them on to blow something up with said bomb).

Not only has the ATF lied to its employers (that would be us as we pay their wages) but they’ve also actively broke United States law which would get any regular Joe tossed into federal prison and labeled a felon for life. Regardless of how this fiasco turns out I’m guessing the ATF will receive nothing more than a stern talking to followed by a congratulations by some fuckhead “representative” for their work “fighting crime.”

The Government’s Attack on Bitcoin Has Begun

One thing many people fail to realize is that government’s like to control what is legal currency as it gives them unprecedented power. This tradition has gone back to the days of kings issuing coins with their images on them and disallowing commerce in their realm unless it was done with the use of coinage bearing their faces. It’s not at all surprising that the United States government eliminated the gold standard, a standard most often chosen in a free market, and created the Federal Reserve to issue all legal tender. Not only did the United States government switch to a fiat currency which they basically control they also made the possession of gold coins illegal and then confiscate coins in private hands.

Every time a new currency starts to make any headway the government steps in and shuts it down. These shut downs are always preceded by justifications for eliminating the potential alternative currency and now the government has unveiled their excuse for attacking Bitcoin, which not surprisingly involves the drug war:

Two U.S. senators have written an open letter to the United States attorney general, asking federal authorities to crack down on “Silk Road,” the Internet black market drug trade, and the digital currency that funds it, Bitcoins.

After reading the report on Silk Road, written by Gawker’s Adrian Chen, Democratic Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Reuters reports. The letter states:

“The only method of payment for these illegal purchases is an untraceable peer-to-peer currency known as Bitcoins. After purchasing Bitcoins through an exchange, a user can create an account on Silk Road and start purchasing illegal drugs from individuals around the world and have them delivered to their homes within days. We urge you to take immediate action and shut down the Silk Road network.”

The truth behind this attack though is the bankers aren’t happy with the idea of an alternative currency that they can’t control. Unlike previous currencies though Bitcoins aren’t controlled in any manner by a central system making the elimination of the currency difficult. That being said there is nothing stopping the government from making possession of Bitcoins illegal and then establishing a method of searching for Bitcoin related Internet traffic. It will be interesting to see how this continues to play out, especially if Bitcoins become more popular in commerce.

Turning Your Keys Over to The Government

If you live in Cedar Falls, Iowa it’s officially time to perform an act of civil disobedience. Ordinance 2740, which requires every person with commercial property to surrender keys to said properties to the government under threat of force, was passed by a six to one vote against strong opposition from city residents:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFCLiij0CBA]

As the ordinance passed against the wishes of city denizens appealing to “representation” is a worthless endeavor here. When appealing to the “better nature” of government doesn’t work the next best thing is simply giving a big fuck you to those who think of you as a slave by ignoring their so-called laws. If you have commercial property in Cedar Falls either refuse to surrender keys to your property or give the city keys that don’t work. If the city tests the keys to ensure you gave them the right set give them a working key to test and change the locks as soon as the city’s thugs leave. The worst possible thing to do though is to surrender valid keys to your commercial properties because that will give those fuckers in the City Council exactly what they want and then they’ll decide they want more (probably keys to every home in the city).

It would be prudent to also call the members of the City Council (very late at night or early in the morning if you have their home phone numbers) an explain to them that they’re not going to have their cushy jobs next election cycle. This is the kind of abuse of authority that needs to be fought if we are to have any hope of regaining a free society.

Even Though We’re More Law Abiding the Law Hates Us

I still can’t comprehend the fact that most second amendment advocates are law abiding citizens yet the police seem to have it out for us. The Baltimore Police Criminal Intelligence Section recently issued a warning against people displaying second amendment stickers because such people could be armed:

….while the individual who is displaying the symbol may not be armed, the presence of the symbol provides an early warning indicator that you MAY be about to encounter an armed individual.

Looking at the rate at which carry permit holders commit crimes (it’s lower than the rate at which other people commit crimes) an officer should happy to encounter a second amendment advocate. Hell somebody who is a strong supporter of the second amendment are probably strong supporters of other rights as well… and now I know why the police don’t like us. Either way I have no stickers visible on my vehicle other than those put on by the factory so I’m not too worried for myself but I am concerned about those who rightly wish to express their support of civil rights.

I will say that this profiling situation has lead to me question what other stickers are being profiled by various police departments. Maybe I should get a bumper sticker made that looks like this:

I can imagine what the police profiling department will tell their officers about that sticker.

Pennies No Longer Legal Tender

We’ve all heard stories of people paying fines in pennies and most of us cheer on this kind of behavior. The government may be able to put a gun to our heads and force us to pay unjust fines but paying it in pennies is one way we can at least stick it to them a little bit. Well that used to be the case as it seems paying in pennies will get you charged with disorderly conduct now:

No lucky pennies here: Police have charged Jason West, an aggrieved medical patient in Vernal, Utah, with disorderly conduct. His alleged crime? Attempting to pay a disputed medical bill of $25 entirely in pennies.

What’s funny is this charge came not from trying to pay an unjust government fine but by paying a bill to a private corporation. According to United States law any currency issued by the Federal Reserve is considered legal tender for all debts. Although you don’t have to accept Federal Reserve issued money for instant transactions you must accept them if somebody is paying back a debt which a bill can be considered. Apparently pennies are no longer considered legal tender though if this charge is to be taken into account.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

What do you get when you decide to head to tornado struck North Minneapolis to help out those who were affected by the storm? It seems you get harrassed by the police and fined:

For a few years, Mike Haege’s sister lived in north Minneapolis. He knows the neighborhood at least a little bit, and when a tornado tore through the area on Sunday, May 22, he took notice.

On the news he saw trees strewn about lawns and streets. Then inspiration struck. He wanted to help. His schedule for Monday, May 23, was wide open. And, since he operates Custom Cut, a tree trimming business here, he figured his services could be put to good use.

“I thought it would be the perfect chance to help,” he said. “I knew there would be people needing help.”

He was right. By 10:30 a.m. Monday, he was signing paperwork with the Urban League to be a volunteer. He signed a waiver, hopped back into his truck and headed off to help out. The Urban Homeworks sent along a couple volunteers with him, too.

Mr. Haege should be commended for his willingness to head over to a disaster stricken area and offer his skills to help out instead he is being punished for his actions because he lacked the proper license from the city:

Tree trimmers who work in Minneapolis need to be licensed with the city. It’s a regulation in place throughout many cities, and something Haege knows all about. He’s licensed in Hastings and several area cities. Since he doesn’t work in Minneapolis, he isn’t licensed there.

Because he didn’t pay his extortion fee to the city of Minneapolis Haege is being punished for being a good neighbor and helping out those in need. This is how the state creates dependence, they punish anybody who attempts to help people in need. If nobody but the state can help you then you become dependent on them and thus their continued existence is ensured. It’s sick and honestly the people of North Minneapolis should be up in arms over the fact that some people who have come to help them have been not only harassed by the police but also fined:

Officers told him to leave. They told him he was going to receive a “hefty fine” in the mail, and that if he stopped on the way out, the fine would be doubled.

Much of this exchange can be heard on a cell phone video that Haege took.

Finally, Haege was cleared to leave. He went to the volunteer hub, checked out and went home. Last he knew, he was going to receive a citation in the mail for trimming trees without a license in Minneapolis, which he heard was a $400 fine.

Of course the city was magnanimous and decided not to fine him the full $400.00:

Haege got more bad news in the mail Wednesday afternoon. He received a $275 fine from the City of Minneapolis.

That’s right the cost of trying to help people in a disaster stricken area is $275. That’s $275 for trying to do the right thing and helping those in need. What the fuck is the sense in that? The city should be paying Mr. Haege for volunteering his services to help out those the city hasn’t gotten to yet (and probably won’t anytime soon).

If you live in North Minneapolis you should be calling your “representatives” and demand the city inspector be fined and that Mr. Haege’s fine be removed.