Great Job Clearing The Crime Scene, Guys
I'm glad that law enforcement was able to take down the Hutaree cult without shots being fired, but as with the Waco raid, there is good reason to question to question whether how they executed the raids were in the best interests of public safety (which, coincidentally, is the subject of an article I'm writing for Pajamas Media).
But now I'm concerned that they did a less than stellar job of securing the crime scene, thanks to this line in a Wall Street Journal report.
The Hutaree appears based at Mr. Stone's home, a pair of dilapidated house trailers near the intersection of dirt roads in rural Clayton, Michigan—population 303—about 85 miles southwest of Detroit. The yard this week held three cars, a dog house, debris and a gun leaning on an old washing machine. [my emphasis--ed.]
I'm going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and suggest they can tell a firearm from a length of pipe. If they are, what does that say about the ability of the authorities to seal a crime scene? More importantly, if they are unable to secure weapons laying in public view in plain sight, can we trust that they have done a thorough job sweeping the area for hidden munitions, such as the kind of IEDs the Hutaree were presumably planning to use in the crimes they are alleged of plotting?
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:39 AM
Comments
1
Maybe cleanup was lax because they got what they needed, a big successful raid and a massive change in the narrative that they are making up as they go along. Am I the only one who thinks this whole thing was a sham from the get go? First the story was planned attacks on muslims, then it was cops. What's next? A planned assault on Nasa?
Posted by: Jeremy at March 31, 2010 11:33 AM (eMy3J)
2
Actually the first question that comes to mind is whether that gun was there originally or left by the ATF by accident. 
Posted by: jvon at March 31, 2010 04:57 PM (57nla)
3
It isn't necessarily a Hutaree gun. I can imagine some fed getting tired of carrying his gun, leaning it up against something, and walking away.
Posted by: Ernst Blofeld at March 31, 2010 04:59 PM (XZWie)
4
Yeah, my money is on the gun being an ATF weapon. It would be par for the course.
Posted by: Copper Quark at March 31, 2010 05:00 PM (OOehk)
5
"Actually the first question that comes to mind is whether that gun was there originally or left by the ATF by accident. "
Based on federal agents' history of securing weapons I'd guess it's about a 50-50 chance.
"
Based on federal agents' history of securing weapons I'd guess it's about a 50-50 chance.
Posted by: mike at March 31, 2010 05:00 PM (tAo4S)
6
Laying in public view? You mean "lying." What does it say about the ability of a wr -- oh, I can let this one go. Good story!
Posted by: Allan Blackwell at March 31, 2010 05:04 PM (pWDJD)
Posted by: Crabtree at March 31, 2010 05:05 PM (TVmXj)
8
Well, I'm not going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. Without a photo to prove their point, I'm going to assume the probability of the journalist misidentifying a pipe as a gun is much higher than the probability of law enforcement leaving a gun laying around unaccompanied, regardless of who it belongs to.
After all, the closest most journalists come to firearms is watching the documentary CSI...
After all, the closest most journalists come to firearms is watching the documentary CSI...
Posted by: Georg Felis at March 31, 2010 05:09 PM (eG/MC)
9
I saw a photo of the scene in my local paper, and my first thought was "I hope the cops are still there, otherwise someone was pretty stupid to leave a shotgun out in the yard."
It did look like a shotgun, and it was leaning on a washing machine. I have to believe that the cops were still there, but even then, I cannot imagine them just leaving a firearm sitting around.
Do you ever see cops at a crime scene carelessly leaving guns around in an open area? I can't imagine it. It goes against everything they are taught about both safety and evidence.
A little conspiratorial part of my mind thought "Nice placement, reinforces the "armed cult" theme well." But I told that part of me to shut up, because I don't want to seem paranoid.
It makes me wonder, has anyone asked "Hey guys, what's the deal with leaving guns around? Is this standard, and if not, why was it done here?"
For both the agencies involved and our incurious media: COMPETUNCE, DUDES!
It did look like a shotgun, and it was leaning on a washing machine. I have to believe that the cops were still there, but even then, I cannot imagine them just leaving a firearm sitting around.
Do you ever see cops at a crime scene carelessly leaving guns around in an open area? I can't imagine it. It goes against everything they are taught about both safety and evidence.
A little conspiratorial part of my mind thought "Nice placement, reinforces the "armed cult" theme well." But I told that part of me to shut up, because I don't want to seem paranoid.
It makes me wonder, has anyone asked "Hey guys, what's the deal with leaving guns around? Is this standard, and if not, why was it done here?"
For both the agencies involved and our incurious media: COMPETUNCE, DUDES!
Posted by: dennymack at March 31, 2010 05:15 PM (B4nTZ)
10
If a shotgun makes this an "armed cult", my grandaddy's Arkansas deer club should have been raided 20 years ago....
Posted by: SDN at March 31, 2010 05:22 PM (S78cq)
11
Reminded me of the circus the immigration feds pulled off when they snatched little Elian Gonzales. You know, fat guy running around in a black armored vest and some middle-aged fed with an MP-5 stuck in the face of the poor person holding a very distraught Elian.
BTW, this whole thing almost smacks of Ruby Ridge and Waco. It will be interesting to get the whole story but the national socialist media and the Democrats have now got their red-neck militia meme ramped up. Anyone who now opposes His Excellency Currently Residing in the White House will not only be a racist for opposing his political prescriptions but also a secret member of a red-neck, Christian-identity militia! And since I don't have proof I'm not a member, I guess I'm guilty as charged. That's how lib-think works.
BTW, this whole thing almost smacks of Ruby Ridge and Waco. It will be interesting to get the whole story but the national socialist media and the Democrats have now got their red-neck militia meme ramped up. Anyone who now opposes His Excellency Currently Residing in the White House will not only be a racist for opposing his political prescriptions but also a secret member of a red-neck, Christian-identity militia! And since I don't have proof I'm not a member, I guess I'm guilty as charged. That's how lib-think works.
Posted by: Hankmeister at March 31, 2010 05:23 PM (9G4ME)
12
Well, these are the same folk who thought Airshot toys were "machine guns" and seized them. Being liberal suburbanites, they might not know what the real things (as in firearms in general) look like if they're not some sexy "assault weapon" they saw on Law & Order.
Posted by: Anonymous at March 31, 2010 06:05 PM (cUKsB)
13
A Detroit paper showed the gun leaning up against a home appliance of some kind in the front yard of the house. The caption clearly called it a BB gun, though it looks like a pellet gun to me.
So, no harm, no foul. If it's as rusty as the rest of the junk in the yard, it probably won't work anyway.
So, no harm, no foul. If it's as rusty as the rest of the junk in the yard, it probably won't work anyway.
Posted by: trashhauler at March 31, 2010 06:11 PM (QL3/+)
14
Recently a young NYC policeman with graduate degree in criminalogy, experience in police work
in NYC, applied to join the FBI. He was turned down because they told him that they only recruiting accountants and lawyers. So are you
surprised?
Max Sennett made movies along time ago. Watch them.
in NYC, applied to join the FBI. He was turned down because they told him that they only recruiting accountants and lawyers. So are you
surprised?
Max Sennett made movies along time ago. Watch them.
Posted by: PTL at March 31, 2010 08:59 PM (efVmq)
15
Sorry about the grammar. Too excited.
Posted by: PTL at March 31, 2010 09:01 PM (efVmq)
16
Heh, it's not like they blocked voters from the polls using clubs or anything. Besides, the washing machine was missing a leg.
Posted by: cbinflux at March 31, 2010 10:18 PM (d7Px0)
17
It's almost comical to watch the administration use traditional Alinsky attack methods against thin air. First they were going to select "tea party leaders", investigate them and demonize them. Unfortunately, they were unable to identify any "tea party leaders" because they don't exist. Apparently the administration then decided to do the next best thing. Since they are convinced that the tea party is somehow connected to militia movements, they picked a random militia and launched a full-scale government Alinsky-attack against them.
Interesting how the press did the dirty work of preparing the battle space for them by attacking the Pope for a week or so before the government attack on not just a militia, but as we are continuously reminded, a Christian militia.
Christian militia! Christian militia! CHRISTIAN militia! Get it? CHRISTIANS!!!!!
Watch the administration and MSM work for the next few weeks to desperately try and tie this random group of sad-sacks to the tea party movement.
Obama's only political tactic is the Alinsky attack. He uses it again and again, in every circumstance. He's demonized derivative traders, bankers, executives, doctors, "bitter" conservatives and now Christians.
It's becoming very transparent, very tiring, and increasingly ineffective. By November, being personally attacked and demonized by the Obama administration may be seen as a point of pride.
Interesting how the press did the dirty work of preparing the battle space for them by attacking the Pope for a week or so before the government attack on not just a militia, but as we are continuously reminded, a Christian militia.
Christian militia! Christian militia! CHRISTIAN militia! Get it? CHRISTIANS!!!!!
Watch the administration and MSM work for the next few weeks to desperately try and tie this random group of sad-sacks to the tea party movement.
Obama's only political tactic is the Alinsky attack. He uses it again and again, in every circumstance. He's demonized derivative traders, bankers, executives, doctors, "bitter" conservatives and now Christians.
It's becoming very transparent, very tiring, and increasingly ineffective. By November, being personally attacked and demonized by the Obama administration may be seen as a point of pride.
Posted by: jms at April 01, 2010 08:26 AM (x/fYw)
18
The feds will spend years putting together a blownup airplane in ordere to resolve the cause. They will bulldove a crime scene ASAP if theyu commited the crime. Gee, like we cannot figure that one out.
Posted by: Odins Acolyte at April 02, 2010 11:57 AM (brIiu)
Processing 0.0, elapsed 0.0054 seconds.
18 queries taking 0.0037 seconds, 26 records returned.
Page size 13 kb.
Powered by Minx 0.8 beta.