July 15, 2011
"Watergate with a Body Count" Continues to Fall Apart For the Obama Administration
I have two Gunwalker articles posted at Pajamas Media at the moment, and two more in the wings.
Teh first shows how the media continues to try to protect the Administration, while the second shows the "smoking gun" emails that prove that ATF officials were trying to use Fast and Furious to influence gun policy. It's getting bad, and going to get worse, folks.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
July 14, 2011
The Joy of Lasers: Part 1
Technology provides us with entertainment and innovations that have become, in many ways, necessities. I am old enough to have learned to type on a manual typewriter, physically flinging the carriage back into battery at the end of each line. In high school, back in the 1400’s, I witnessed and embraced the invention of such wonders as the cassette tape, the touch-tone phone and all-transistor guitar amplifiers. I bought my first home computer, an Apple, in 1986 and have ridden the wave of innovation that flowed from what was then considered the enormous 20 megabyte hard drive of that first machine. So I often take a moment to appreciate the wonder of the technology that drives my iPhone4, which in very real ways puts the world in my pocket.
One innovation that is a boon to shooters, casual and professional, is the laser. Contemporary lasers are small, weigh little, and are relatively inexpensive and very effective. One of the best things about lasers is that they are actually a highly effective solution to real world problems rather than the many ingenious solutions to non-existent problems so common in the firearms world.
Posted by: MikeM at 10:42 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gunwalker: Comment of the Day
From Patrick Richardson's Pajamas Media article about a "smoking gun" email that proves the ATF were trying to use "walked" guns to influence policy, a dead-on comment by reader L.E. Liesner:
The federal government [is] using federal agencies to break federal laws so that same federal government can impose more federal laws on the people that did not break the law. If this isn't a direct violation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights nothing ever will [be].
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:35 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
"Don't Call My Bluff"
First Rule of Bluffing: Don't let the other guy know you are bluffing. As for taking his case to the people, the people have heard his long-winded, blame-shifting, class-warfare speeches, and like honey badger, we don't care. We know spending must be cut, and that a recession is a horrible time to raise taxes. It's too bad he can't figure that out.
When Cantor said the two sides were too far apart to get a deal that could pass the House by the Treasury Department’s Aug. 2 deadline — and that he would consider moving a short-term debt-limit increase alongside smaller spending cuts — Obama began to lecture him. "Eric, don't call my bluff," the president said, warning Cantor that he would take his case "to the American people." He told Cantor that no other president — not Ronald Reagan, the president said — would sit through such negotiations.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 06:50 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
July 13, 2011
Quick Takes, July 14, 2011
ITEM: Smart Energy Policy? We have experienced the wonders of “Smart Diplomacy” and the world is in turmoil. Now, we have experienced the equal delights of Smart Energy Policy as the results of Mr. Obama’s release and sale of 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are now apparent. The results? Zip, zero, nada, zilch, bupkis, dick, and last but not least, squat. Go here for the whole debacle.
ITEM: Global Warming Isn’t Dead, It’s Pinin’ For The Fjords! So now we know. Go here, where we discover that the more one knows about science and the better informed one is, the more likely they are to see global warming as a figurative dead parrot that wouldn’t “voom” if was shot full of lightning because it’s nailed to the perch! Strange: I have a sudden compulsion to sing about being a lumberjack… ITEM: Time Wounds All Heels: Apparently, even in the land of the unrestrained liberals—CNN—ratings still matter. I know, I know, but MSNBC is another dimension, literally another dimension. Don’t get me started. Eliot Spitzer’s show has been canceled. Go here for the story. I could construct some elaborate snark about this one, but frankly Scarlett, I just don’t give a damn. ITEM: Why is the British Media So Much Better Than the LameStream Media? Go here for a Telegraph story on, of all things, a Harvard economics professor who thinks that the nation shouldn’t spend money that it doesn’t have because one day, the bill will come due! Amazing! He also believes that economic stimulus idiocy doesn’t work! Good grief, where has this man been? ITEM: The 800 Pound Gorilla In The Room: As the deficit talks/non-talks grind relentlessly onward—or don’t—few comment on the 800 pound gorilla in the room: Obamacare. Until Americans know with certainty whether this lunatic abomination is going to be implemented or repealed, it makes little difference to talk about fixing the economy or entitlement reform, for it is the largest single entitlement ever imagined by man. Irrespective of other entitlement spending, it will bankrupt the nation, and Mr. Obama wants to roll back corporate jet tax credits. Say, didn’t he have something to do with Obamacare? I seem to remember something about that a year or so ago… Discuss. ITEM: He’s Drowning! Quick, Throw Him This Anchor! Go here—if you dare—to discover that California politicians are indisputably, actually trying to bankrupt their state. There is simply no other possible explanation. What’s up? The Loongislature has passed a bill that gives labor unions the power to directly appoint half of city and county civil service commissions. That’s right: unions will appoint half of the people with whom they’ll negotiate for their wages and benefits. Unless Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown vetoes the law, it will automatically become law. These Californians, they’re really space aliens in disguise, aren’t they? ITEM: Casey Anthony Was Guilty! We Know It Because The Media Suggested It! Maybe not so much. Did she kill her daughter? Perhaps. Is that among the most vile and heart rending crimes imaginable? Of course. Is the criminal justice system imperfect? No Doubt. As those of us who have actually labored in the criminal justice system know, there is no such thing as perfection. In any case, there are almost always unanswered questions and doubts that will never be fully explained. Life is absolutely not like the CSI shows, and in this case, the prosecution could not prove how Caylee died. They could not prove that she had been murdered. Go here for an article by Alan Dershowitz wherein Prof. Deshowitz suggests, convincingly, that the system worked. I tend to agree. You? ITEM: Why, He’s Just Like Us! Go here for an interesting statement form Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney who, speaking for the President, noted that Americans don’t talk about the GDP and unemployment numbers. If the Obama Administration really thinks that, and acts on that lunatic assumption, 2012 may be a historic landslide that will shovel-ready Mr. Obama all the way back to wherever he may or may not have been born. But hey, our self-appointed betters are just like us. They feel our pain and understand our meaningless, pathetic, petty little lives. Makes me feel warm inside. You? ITEM: Oops! During my law enforcement days, we local cops often dealt with the FBI who have always more or less considered themselves God’s gift to law enforcement. To their occasional chagrin, they are reminded that they too must recruit from the human race, as in the case of the abandoned MP5, a 9mm submachine gun, which an FBI agent left sitting on the top of his unmarked car in the local federal building parking lot. A local skateboarder found it and skateboarded down to the police station to turn it in. Yes, it was loaded. Go here for a charming photo of a Seattle police cruiser illegally parked, and with an apparently loaded police AR-15 rifle sitting on the trunk lid while the officers involved did—who knows what. The police department was not sure if the gun was loaded. Uh, I believe that’s relatively easy to check, and in fact, after ensuring that the safety is on, proper safety protocol for semi-automatic firearms requires removing the magazine and cycling the bolt/slide to eject any chambered round. Only the professionals should have guns. Oops. ITEM: It’s Soooooo Unexpected! Go here for a Reuters report about the latest catastrophic economic report released—on a Friday—by the government. Unemployment rose—again—to 9.2% and about all those jobs the government claimed to have created in April and May? Never mind! Subtract 44,000 from whatever those totals were. It’s a good thing Americans don’t care about unemployment and all of that complex economic stuff. It’s all so…unexpected. ITEM: Ruh-Roh, Shaggy! Let’s say that you were once the largest and most powerful automaker in the world, but you allowed unions to increase your labor costs so much that you went bankrupt. But lo and behold, a savior arose in the land of Chicago and bailed the unions out and let you come along for the ride. And now all is goodness, light and profitability. Yeah. Not so much. Go here to discover General Motor’s newest program: Buy a new GM car and get free auto insurance for a year. Uh, but wouldn’t that kind of thing suggest, you know, like desperation rather than profitability? Good question. ITEM: Economic Doom? Go here to read a handy compilation of the economic reality of Obamanomics in statistics, provided by Stephen Green of Vodakpundit. In a rational world with a responsible, adult media (I know: oxymoron), the reality reflected in these indisputable numbers would tell any president that it’s time to retire to a life of traitorous betrayal of your nation rather than waste millions on a hopeless second presidential campaign. Any bets on reality? Discuss. ITEM: Um, Shouldn’t He Be Supporting Jobs If He Says He Supports Jobs? Remember Barack Hussein Obama? You know, The One? The man who will lower sea levels and heal the planet? Remember how he has repeatedly said that creating jobs is “job one” for the white House? So why is he trying to destroy entire industries every time he opens his mouth? Go here for an example. ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Reality Division: (AKA: So, You Actually Thought He Knew Anything About Defense, The Economy, Or, Well, Anything?!) Go here to "The Hill" for an article on Mr. Obama’s recent comments about raiding the defense budget to finance his domestic priorities. It reveals an amazing lack of understanding of, well, just about everything on the President’s part. I’m shocked, shocked! that a man with no experience at basically anything would have no experience at basically anything. ITEM: Have You Read Amy Alkon? If not, go here to advicegoddess.com for a solid ration of common sense. In this particular article, Alkon take to take one Rebecca Watson who suffered the unimaginable horror of being propositioned—by her own admission in a completely polite manner—in an elevator. As Joseph Conrad, channeled by Elmer Fudd said: “Duh howuh.” ITEM: Steven Chu Cares About You! Our very own Energy Secretary who has said, among other things, that we must figure out some way to get gasoline prices to rise to European levels ($10 per gallon) is once again demonstrating his selfless, boundless concern for the little people. In support of taking away incandescent light bulbs and forcing everyone to buy bulbs that are actually dangerous and cost a great deal more, Chu recently said (here) “We are taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money.” Oh rapture! How could any one man possibly care so much about little old me that he is willing, nay, determined to prevent me from making choices that would waste my own money? How, oh how have I been able to avoid bankruptcy, nay, how have I been able to survive without the benevolence of Steven Chu and the rest of the Obama Administration looking out for my welfare until this point in my wretched life? I’m so grateful, so grateful. ITEM: #49: With the signature of Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin has become the 49th state that allows concealed carry in some form. Wisconsin is a “shall issue” state, which means that as long as an applicant for a concealed carry license is not by law disqualified from owning a firearm, the state must issue a license. Some other states, which do, in theory, authorize concealed carry, do quite the opposite in practice. Illinois remains the only state where it is entirely prohibited. Go here for the story. ITEM: OK. I’m Confused. The White House and Congressional Republicans are fighting over a Debt Ceiling deal. They want to spend trillions more—more or less forever—and the Republicans want to cut spending so we don’t entirely bankrupt the nation sooner rather than later. Oh yes, and the White House wants to greatly increase taxes. It is certain than tax increases will seriously worsen an already serious economic situation. It is certain that spending more will seriously worsen an already serous economic situation. The only way to save the nation is to spend less, a great deal less. So what’s the problem? Who is completely crazy here? Discuss. ITEM: “I Did this All For the Unions”: said Ron Bloom, President Obama’s Assistant for Manufacturing Policy, is reported to have said in talking about the Administration’s role in the takeover of GM and Chrysler. Testifying before Congress, Bloom flatly denied every saying it. However, Bloom associate Steve Rattner, in a 2010 book, said that he did, but characterized it as a joke. And White House spokesmen are also characterizing it as a joke. The comment was made at a celebration dinner at a restaurant. Rep. Daryl Issa has now written a letter to Bloom asking him to clarify or amend his testimony. I don’t know; I kind of lean toward the proposition that this is exactly the kind of thing that an Obama Administration official and former union honcho would say? You? We’ll see. Go here for the story. ITEM: Debt Ceiling? More Taxes? A Balanced Approach? All of the talk about negotiating an increase of the debt ceiling makes most folk’s eyes cross. But consider this: The debt ceiling is in place to prevent irresponsible, craven politicians whose only life skill is wasting enormous amounts of other people’s money from wasting so much of other people’s money that they actually bankrupt the country. And our representatives are talking about a two trillion dollar increase—two trillion dollars—as though it is inevitable and the rest is just niggling details. And of course, Mr. Obama demand tax increases. What he isn’t telling you is he has already obtained huge tax increases in Obamacare and elsewhere. Go here for a story by Jennifer Rubin that lays out the numbers. Truly frightening. ITEM: How Can You Tell When Barack Obama Is Lying? His lips are moving. It’s an old joke, I know, but oh so true in this case. Remember Mr. Obama’s tragic story of evil insurance companies denying promised coverage to his cancer-stricken mother during her final months? It turns out that the story is not as he has represented it. I know: You’re shocked, shocked! Where’s Louis Renault when you need him? Go here for the story from Byron York. ITEM: Do As I Mandate, Not As I Do! Go here for a story about Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, of course) who was voted the second meanest person in the House. It seems the Congresswoman hired a staffer with a vision disability and then denied her the accommodations she needed to do her job. Imagine that: A Congresscritter mandating things for the little people and ignoring them herself. Who’da thunk it? ITEM: Syrian Hopes: One person always worth reading on the Middle East is Claire Berlinski. Not only has she lived in Turkey for many years, she’s a perceptive observer and writer. Syria is one regime that assists Iran in the murder of thousands, and as the Syrian citizenry stands up to demonstrate for freedom, they are being killing by the scores. Mr. Obama, of course, does nothing to assist those who truly seek freedom. Go here for Berlinski’s most recent account. And in the meantime, go here to read about Assad loyalists storming the American Embassy in Damascus. Perhaps if Mr. Obama only reached out with an open hand…? ITEM: Lights Out! The bill, sponsored by Joe Barton (R-TX) that would have overturned the measure doing away with 100 watt incandescent light bulbs was defeated in the House July 11. For some reason, the vote was held under conditions that would have required a supermajority to pass. The final vote was 233 to 193; 285 were required for passage. Hmm. One might almost be tempted to think that this was nothing but political theater. Go here for the story and remember this whenever you’re forced to buy a CFL bulb or whenever you flip a light switch. ITEM: I’m Going To Cut Off Grandma! Thus sayeth Barack Obama, threatening to cut off social security checks for seniors if the Republcans don’t give him as much of other people’s money as he wants to spend. Go here for Bob’s and my take on the issue, and go here for the actual figures. As usual, Mr. Obama’s lips were moving again. ITEM: That Must Have Hurt! Remember when the merry Marxists at NBC produced a montage for the opening of the U.S. Open with children saying the Pledge of Allegiance—with “under God” and “indivisible” edited out? After receiving a letter signed by 108 members of Congress taking them to task, NBC has formally apologized. Apparently having a significant portion of the American public and the Congress ticked at them caused the suits at NBC to hastily rediscover patriotism they didn't know they had. Go here for the story. ITEM: At the last moment before posting there is news of Mr. Obama’s abrupt and petulant exit from a negotiating session over the Debt Ceiling. Why? Because nothing is more important to him than massive tax increases. Why are they so important? Not so that he can use the revenues to pay down the debt, but to spend even more trillions and put us even more deeply into debt. He knows the House isn’t going to authorize massive tax increases, so this is his only chance to really bring America to its knees, particularly if he isn’t reelected. What’s your opinion? Discuss. ITEM: Blind Faith: Go here to Fox News for the story of Morgan Trujillo, a 17 year-old Colorado girl thrown from a horse. Morgan suffered a serious head injury that left her unable to help herself. She was rescued by Keith Day, who is blind, who followed her cries for help. This one will restore your faith in humanity. And on that positive note, I must thank you for stopping by and urge you to return again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!Posted by: MikeM at 11:17 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Smoking Gun: Email Shows ATF Intent to Use Gunwalker Guns to Push Gun Control
Katie Pavlich has the details at Townhall.
This one email clearly and unambiguously shows that Officials within the ATF had the intention of using "walked" guns to push for more gun controls. I'd like to hear from any lawyers in the crowd: is this the stuff that conspiracy charges are made of? If there are similar emails within ATF, DOJ, and other agencies and departments that were part of the various Gunwalker schemes that are now coming apart at the seems, do we have the making of a RICO case against officials that may have been involved?Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:31 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Mumbai Bombed on Terrorist's Birthday
Three bombs. Nothing definitive on casualties yet, but initial reports indicate three killed and at least dozens wounded.
Rather obviously, the Religion of Peace/Cult of Death has struck again.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:06 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
July 12, 2011
Somewhere Under The Radar: Importing Hamas
We know that President Obama likes to work “under the radar,” or in a manner that conceals his true intentions from the public, a public unlikely to approve of much of what he does. Most recently, Mr. Obama announced his under the radar work on gun control (here) to Sarah Brady of the Brady Campaign. We even learned that Mr. Obama has a White House “point man” on gun control policy, which certainly lends credence to the idea that he is working surreptitiously on gun control policies apart from the disastrous Gunwalker scandal that the Lamestream Media is now laboring to avoid reporting. The latest fruits of his under the radar gun control work were revealed by Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney at a July 7th presser (here) where he announced that new gun control initiatives would soon be unveiled.
Days later, they were. Here are the highlights (go here for the story): (1) A national electronic system designed to make background checks for handgun buyers simpler and faster, leaving an electronic paper trail under a law named for James Brady. (2) A new reporting requirement that federally licensed gun shops report any person who tries to buy two long-arm weapons near the Mexican border over a five-day period. (3) Tougher sentencing guidelines for straw buyers that Holder’s department pushed through procedural hoops at the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Another virtually unknown under the radar effort is Mr. Obama’s stalwart work to help terrorist immigrate to the United States. What?! President Obama is helping terrorists to immigrate?! Indeed, since January 27, 2009, and of course, it was done by mandate, not law. Here’s the relevant entry from the Federal Register (link here): February 4, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 22): “Presidential DocumentsU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
NOTICE: Part II
DOCID: fr04fe09-106
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
Posted by: MikeM at 10:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gunwalker Scandal Deepens
Despite what the Obama Administration would like you to believe, it isn't just Fast and Furious and Arizona, and it never was.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:00 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Meet Ken Blanco: The Fall Guy
I made mention in my latest Pajamas Media article that the Obama Justice Department is attempting to find a patsy to take the blame for "Fast and Furious."
A well-placed source provided me the name of the individual that has been designated by higher-ups to take the fall, and I reached out to him, hoping that he might decide to reach out as a whistle-blower in his own right, if only out of enlightened self-interest. Well, he declined to speak (to me at least). That said, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco has been identified as the Administration's probable fall guy, for several reasons. The primary reason, as it always is with anything involving Holder and Obama, is politics. Blanco is not the politico that his superiors are, which is strike one. they look out after theri own, and while Blanco is career, he isn't apparently an Obamite. He is apparently a decent human being and competent DAAG, according to the source. That's two strikes against him in an organization as corrupt and politicized as the highest levels of Justice. Blanco's third strike happens to be the fact that he was the signing authority that authorized the wiretaps for Fast and Furious. There is a looooong way between signing off on wiretaps and authorizing felony gun smuggling to narco-terrorists, however, so it will be interesting to see if DOJ has the gall to actually try to make this stick in the face of rapidly emerging evidence of a wider scandal. As always, any DOJ, ATF, DHS, FBI or other tipsters that would like to come forward about what officials knew, and when they knew it, are invited to drop me a secure line at gunwalkertips@hushmail.com.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:36 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Fear-Monger-in-Chief
Scaring grandmothers wasn't the hope or change we were looking for.
Desperate President Barack Obama is now trying to terrify seniors in order to "win" what he views as some sort of a game about the deficit.The fact of the matter is that A) Social Security payments have been running at a deficit for years, and; B) the technological infrastructure of the system is so massive, redundant and complex that short of overt hostile military action to literally destroy it, or knocking down the power grid, it is not physically possible for the President and his cronies to stop payments. It says something about the character of this man—or more precisely, his lack of character—that he seeks to terrify seniors into become a panicked lynch mob to serve his political will.
President Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3 if Democrats and Republicans in Washington do not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit in the coming weeks. "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Mr. Obama said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, according to excerpts released by CBS News.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
July 11, 2011
Letter From The Teacher #9: Gay History And Literature?
Anytown High School, Any State, USA
To: Mr. and Mrs. CarterFrom: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Gay Used To Be Such A Lovely Word Dear Mr. and Mrs. Carter: I appreciated your e-mail today very much, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to respond to it. Let me respond directly to your first question: No, the Anytown School District will not require the teaching of Gay history. In fact, our state legislature has not mandated that or anything like it. I’m suspect you’re thinking of California. On July 5th, the California Legislature passed a bill that mandates teaching the accomplishments of gay and lesbian people in the public schools. At the moment, it’s not known whether Governor Jerry Brown will sign the bill, but if he does not sign or veto it, it will automatically become law. You might want to take these links (here and here) to read about it. I doubt that this sort of thing would ever be mandated in our state. I also appreciate your willingness to share your concerns about your daughter, Melissa. As you know, she has shared her feelings about her attraction to girls with me. From your e-mail, it seems plain that she has told you about our conversations and their content, and I’m glad to know that and glad that you trust me enough to confide in me. It might surprise you to know that this kind of conversation is not unusual, but it’s not common either. I suspect it has something to do with my being an English teacher, perhaps the association with literature and poetry and that sort of thing. In any case, please know that I will keep your—and Melissa’s—confidence as she sorts out her feelings and tries to be, well, a teenager. Getting back to the first issue, I’m pleased we won’t be teaching “gay” history. The politicization surrounding all of this is most discouraging. “Gay” used to be such a lovely word, with such pleasant denotations and connotations. Now, it tends to provoke conflict.
Posted by: MikeM at 11:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Hushmail Tipline Launched for Gunwalker
Some incredibly brave ATF and DOJ employees have come forward to warn the American people about "Operation Fast and Furious," a multi-agency operation in Arizona that resulted in the federal government facilitating arms smuggling to Mexican drug cartels.
There are now unverified allegations that Fast and Furious may have been just one compartmentalized operation of many. If sources are correct, there was an "Operation Castaway" providing up to 1,000 weapons to MS-13 in Honduras, and a possible third operation, codename unknown, that may have been run out of Houston, Texas, that provided the weapons used to ambush ICE agents in Mexico, killing Jaime Zapata. As a service for tipsters who want to see those responsible for these operations held to account, we are now opening a secure email tipline, gunwalkertips@hushmail.com. You can send tips, photos, or forward emails or documents using your own existing email accounts, or get your own secure email address at https://www.hushmail.com/. You are promised anonymity in exchange for your tips, though we may require verification of specific allegations. Any evidence collected will be used in future articles here on Confederate Yankee, or at Pajamas Media.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:36 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Caught up in Gunwalker, Obama Pushes Gun Control Through Executive Fiat
He can't deliver enough guns to narco-terrorists to change public opinion, so he's just going to start having his Justice Department declaring new rules that will do nothing to stop crime.
Senator Grassley's office provided a rebuttal to this absurd requirement almost as soon as it was made, stating via email:
In an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into Mexico, the Justice Department says gun shops in four Southwest border states will be required to alert the federal government to frequent buyers of high-powered rifles. The new policy comes amid wide-spread criticism of a failed federal probe called Operation Fast and Furious aimed at dismantling large-scale arms trafficking networks along the Arizona border with Mexico.
Operation Fast and Furious failed in Mexico. Operation Castaway is just coming to light, proving the Administration's gun smuggling support is far more than an isolated incident, and suggesting that a much larger conspiracy--and I mean that in the legal sense--is afoot within the Obama Administration. Quite frankly, I suspect we're on the cusp of seeing enough evidence to warrant an independent prosecutor, and I would not be surprised if there is enough evidence to warrant a prosecution under the RICO statute. Nobody died as a result of Watergate, and that was enough to end a Presidency. If supplying a minimum of 3,000 weapons to violent narcotics organizations in two countries isn't enough to put members of the Obama Administration in prison, what is?
We've learned from our investigation of Fast and Furious that reporting multiple long gun sales would do nothing to stop the flow of firearms to known straw purchasers because many Federal Firearms Dealers are already voluntarily reporting suspicious transactions. In fact, in just the documents we've obtained, we are aware of 150 multiple long guns sales associated with the ATF’s Fast and Furious case, and despite the fact that nearly all of these sales were reported in real time by cooperating gun dealers, the ATF watched the guns be transported from known straw purchasers to third parties and then let the guns walk away, often across the border. This makes it pretty clear that the problem isn't lack of burdensome reporting requirements. The administration's continued overreach with regulations continues, and is a distraction from its reckless policy to allow guns to walk into Mexico.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:12 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gunwalking In America
Bob continues to turn up the heat in a new article up at Pajamas Media (here) on the fact that Gunwalker firearms are turning up at crime scenes in America. This is, of course, an inevitable consequence of the Obama Administration's lunatic scheme. An article, like all of Bob's work on this case, very much worth your while.
Posted by: MikeM at 05:56 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Media Matters Correctly Refutes Media Claims About Gunwalker
I've tried to tell folks not to conflate Gunrunner (the Bush-era program) with Gunwalker, otherwise known as the project level "Operation Fast and Furious."
Few have listened, however, giving Media Matters some fuel to claim that the scandal is not as widespread as some of my peers have claimed. And they're right. As of this particular moment in history, there is zero evidence showing that there was any stimulus spending used to fund Gunwalker. Your Executive branch was subsidizing murders with your regular tax dollars instead. It is patently untrue that Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech about Gunwalker in early 2009. His probable lies about what he knew and when he knew it would have dated from much later in the year. In light of Operation Castaway, however, it seems possible that the stimulus funds highlighted by Media Matters as going to other ATF offices outside of Arizona may have been laying the groundwork to set up a much wider weapons smuggling ring than was first thought. We'd long been under the impression that Gunwalker was an isolated event, occurring only in Arizona. We were wrong. Operation Castaway provided 1,000 guns to MS-13 in Honduras using the same technique (if you can call arming terrorists a technique) as Gunwalker. We simply don't know yet if there were other operations being run out of Justice arming other Mexican cartels, or other violent drug gangs in other countries like MS-13 in Honduras. Logic would say at this point that such operations are at the very least plausible, and perhaps probable. Obama's Justice Department, acting in concert with the State Department and DHS, has facilitated the smuggling of 3,000 weapons to narco-terrorists since late 2009, fomenting civil war in Mexico and threatening to destabilize other countries in Central America. Quite frankly, our Executive Branch is proving as dangerous as al Qaeda, and just and lawless and uncaring about the lives it destroys.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:54 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Watching the Big Spender-In-Chief
I'm watching Obama's presser this morning, watching his attempt to justify raising taxes in a depression. He is ideologically incapable of any meaningful cuts to big-government spending, which is precisely what you expect from a socialist. Of course, he says "balance" and "shared sacrifice" as way of avoiding saying the words "raising taxes."
He has no vision. He is incapable of fresh ideas. He beats the same drum that big government advocates have pushed for decades. Sadly, I don't think that the Republican leadership is much different, it is simply a matter of scale, and how much they are willing to rob the taxpayers. Of course, neither party has the political courage to say "no" to the special interest groups or risk losing an election. They are more interested in amassing and retaining power than providing leadership. If they are not willing to explicitly acknowledge that we have to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, then they are not close to being serious. There will be pain, and people who will suffer. It is just a matter of how many, and how long, and the longer we wait, the worse it is going to be. And so I am watching our President and nominal leader of the free world once demagoguing Republicans, playing class warfare by attacking "the rich," and trying to portray his own inflexibility and partisanship as some sort of virtue. I hope that the GOP leadership has the guts to refuse to raise the debt ceiling. I just don't think they are capable of it.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:28 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
July 10, 2011
Chevy Volt Update for 07-11-11
As regular readers know, I’ve been following the misfortunes of the Chevy Volt and its relatives for some time now. Anyone interested in my writings on the Volt should simply enter “Chevy Volt” in the search feature of the CY site. You’ll find every article and mention there.
Of particular interest to you might be my analysis on real world costs of the Volt in an April 26 post (here). In that post, I compared, among other things, the difference in cost between a Volt and a well-equipped 40 MPG Ford Fiesta and found that if the Volt managed a real world MPG average of 120 (electric and gasoline), it would take a minimum of 14 years to make up the difference in initial cost between the vehicles in fuel savings. Actually, it would be more like 19 years, which of course means that for probably 99% of the public, buying a Volt would save nothing at all over a conventional, far more useful vehicle. It would almost certainly leave most owners deeply in the hole overall. Now come Ed Morrissey at Hot Air with an article titled: “Hey, let’s spend millions to save $116,000!” In that article (here), Morrissey speaks of the Federal Government in San Diego, which is planning to buy 101 Chevy Volts and ten Nissan Leafs for federal employees. Of course, they’ll have to buy and install the necessary charging infrastructure too. I noted the cozy relationship between GE—which builds EV charging stations—and the Obama Administration in my April 21 PJM article on the Volt (here). As the title suggests, the “experiment” is a major boondoggle and will cost the taxpayers a great deal of money while saving nothing at all. It’s a progressive dream two-fer! By all means, revisit my articles and Morrisey’s as well. What’s new is another New York Times puff piece on the Volt (here) by Joe Nocera. Published on June 25, it has all of the objectivity and insightful analysis we have come to expect from the Gray Lady. Actually, Nocera does make some reasonable assertions, such as this:Posted by: MikeM at 09:39 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Steyn On Fast And Furious
If you have not read Mark Steyn, this article in National Review would be an excellent introduction to the work of one of the best writers and most insightful pundits writing today. His book America Alone: The End Of The World As We Know It should be required reading in the classrooms of America and for every American citizen. This National Review article discusses governmental accountability using several examples, but focusing on Fast and Furious.
As you know, Bob has been in the forefront of breaking the Gunwalker story in the blogosphere and on the radio across America, and his pioneering efforts--and the efforts of others--seem to be making a difference. Fox News Sunday discussed the case today, unfortunately only in their "Panel Plus" feature which is available online (here). In that excerpt, Juan Williams, who is often quite reasonable, claimed that 70% of guns used in crime in Mexico were traceable to the US--a claim that has been repeatedly debunked--and tried to portray the scandal as a political vendetta against Eric Holder, largely perpetrated by the NRA. Mara Liaison, the other liberal member of the panel, agreed that it is a genuine scandal but suggested that it was due in part to the fact that there has not been a director of the ATF for 4-5 years, alleging that this was because the NRA didn't approve of anyone nominated by Republicans or Democrats. Sigh. And in the "How Tone-Deaf Are These Guys Anyway?" department, we learn from Fox News (here) that the Justice Department and White House are working hard on gun control measures that they plan to release in the near future. Perhaps it would help if the Obama Administration stopped preventing federal law enforcement officers from doing their jobs, didn't stonewall and lie to Congress, and stopped giving guns to murderous foreign and domestic criminals? Read this one only if you have taken your blood pressure medication and have secured easily breakable items. The beat goes on. Don't you go on without reading Steyn.Posted by: MikeM at 08:13 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
West: Obama Must Fire Holder, Or He Is Complicit in Fast and Furious
The outspoken Congressman from Florida tells it like it is.
"The president needs to realize that Eric Holder needs to be removed from the Department of Justice," West said after detailing why he thinks Holder should appear before an investigative committee to testify about how the DOJ has handled its response to the Operation Fast and Furious investigation. "Or else I believe President Obama is complicit and he is in approval of the actions of his attorney general." Gill followed up by asking West if he thought a special prosecutor was needed to investigate Operation Fast and Furious. West said he thought so, adding that the mishandling of the operation is a part of a "trend" he sees forming at the DOJ. West said the way Holder has handled Operation Fast and Furious is reminiscent of how he handled the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation scandal.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:17 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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