Fast & Furious News -- ATF Arms Sinaloa in Quid Pro Quo Deal

More damning news from the Fast & Furious Gun-Running scandal.  Many have said this, but new information has come out supporting the fact that US officials that were purposely arming cartels had been given the green light for drug trafficking (specifically the Sinaloa Cartel) in exchange for information to take down rival cartels.

The explosive allegations are being made by Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, known as the Sinaloa Cartel’s “logistics coordinator.” He was extradited to the Chicago last year to face federal drug charges.

Zambada-Niebla claims that under a “divide and conquer” strategy, the U.S. helped finance and arm the Sinaloa Cartel through Operation Fast and Furious in exchange for information that allowed the DEA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies to take down rival drug cartels. The Sinaloa Cartel was allegedly permitted to traffic massive amounts of drugs across the U.S. border from 2004 to 2009 — during both Fast and Furious and Bush-era gunrunning operations — as long as the intel kept coming. READ MORE>>>

I'm not entirely sure why we'd be surprised by this news. Look at our history.  We created Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden to fight our enemies then they became our enemies.  Now we're doing the same thing.  Do we think it'd be better to have one ENORMOUS CARTEL South of the border or several smaller ones killing each other.  Our CIA trafficked in cocaine to finance operations in the 1980s.

The only thing we haven't done yet (at least that we know of) is send the CIA down to train the cartels.  Oh wait we did... Correction:  we used "Special Forces" to train Mexican federal agents who later changed sides and became the ruthless cartel known as the Zetas.

Judicial Hypocrisy: More of the Same

It's really sad that I've become jaded to the judicial hypocrisy we see nowadays.

If you're... Rich or Famous you don't have to abide by the law because you can afford the extremely high priced lawyer fees (and probably bribes, I'm just saying, it must take more than a good lawyer to get off with treatment this good) to get you off the hook with no serious consequences.

Cases in point:

• The slew of Obama appointees that have committed tax evasion. The End Result: They get no jail time, no fines, no penalties, and just have to pay what they owe.
  
• The all too familiar case of O.J. Simpson. His overpriced law team was said to have bankrupted him. The End Result: O.J. Simpson gets off scott-free and writes a book titled "If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer" to capitalize on his capital offense.
• The Paris Hiltons, Nicole Richies, and other vapid celebrities that have all been convicted of drug and DUI offenses. The End Result: All get rather tame slaps on the wrist and often end up serving minimal sentences and fines.
  
• The latest Rapper T.I. who was convicted of trying to buy illegal unregistered machine guns and sound suppressor by an undercover ATF agent, A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Maximum sentence 10 years and $250,000 fine per charge. The End Result: The judge gives him a light tap on the wrist with a 1 year jail sentence; $100,000 fine; agrees to credit him for 305 days served under house arrest and agrees that T.I. needs to serve 60 more days.

It's this last case in point which really ticks me off though. Shouldn't we hold those in the public sphere to a higher standard, not a lower one?

After all, which sends a better message to the youth and 'commoners' of America... knowing that if you are rich and famous you can get off with little or no consequences or if you're rich and famous you'll be held to the same standard as everyone else?

Rapper T.I. (admittedly I had never heard of him until now) is a convicted felon. As a result, he cannot even own, purchase, or possess a gun. Not a hunting shotgun, not a super scary 'Military Assault Rifle', not a handgun or revolver, and certainly not a registered machine gun or silencer (let alone highly illegal unregistered ones). Are we that naive to think that this is anything other than class favoritism?

Seriously, if some poor (I mean literally) gang banger had tried to purchase the machine guns that T.I. did do you think that he would've gotten a 1 year sentence and would be credited 305 days for house arrest on a FEDERAL OFFENSE?

Contrast the treatment of Clifford Harris Jr. (Rapper T.I.) with the treatment of David Olofson. David Olofson (Video About it on Lou Dobbs) was convicted of 'knowingly illegally transfering a machine gun' when he lent a malfunctioning AR-15 to his neighbor (which is not illegal in and of itself). He was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in the Federal Penitentiary.

Happy New Year!

Dang this is the third time at least that I've started a post and lost part or all of it... third times' the charm.

I hope everyone's 2007 went well, and I hope everyone has a great 2008.

Now that it's a new year it's important to start the year off right, by reminding our Senators and Congressmen that they're only in office to represent their constituents.

I thought I'd like to alert you to some of the most notable acts that need to be acted on of 2007.

One of the best resolutions introduced in 2007 is HR 4900 which was introduced just before the winter recess of 2007. It's called, The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007".

For too long the BATFE has has been able to make and change it's own rules and has had to answer no-one. Hypothetically speaking if one were to convert a firearm to an illegal machine gun it would be illegal. However, if an employee of the BATFE were to convert a firearm to an illegal machine gun and mail it (illegally) to a private citizen the private citizen would be guilty of possessing a machine gun while the BATFE would be exempt from any repercussions.

However ATF abuses aren't just hypothetical situations, just ask Red's Trading Post (Interviews 1, 2) and KT Ordnance (Alert, Interview, Newstory). In addition to these two businesses many others have been targeted unfairly or even lost their FFL (Federal Firearms Liscense) completely as a result of small paperwork errors.

Among some of the more noteable provisions are:

• Requires BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
• Clarifies the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
• Permanently bans creation of a centralized electronic index of dealers’ records (read as a list of who to confiscate from)
• Repeals the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998

While this act isn't perfect, it's a good start.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 4900, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007.”


Secondly, there are two other bits of legislation which desperately need to be acted upon and passed so they do not die like in past sessions of Congress.

These two are the Senate S. 388 (govtrack.us) and the Congress' H.R. 861 (govtrack.us), National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2007.

I've had my concealed carry permit for several years now.

Like every other legal concealed carry permit holder of The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I've never been convicted or found guilty of a violent crime or felony; I've never renounced my citizenship; I am a legal resident of the United States; submitted myself to background checks; I am not an unlawful user or addicted to any drugs or alcohol legal or illegal; I've submitted several character references; and I've had the approval of my county's Sheriff in order to receive my Concealed Carry Permit.


However, while my driver’s license that bestows me the privilege to drive (automobile related deaths are nearly twice as high as firearm related deaths, and nearly 5 times as high for deaths of children) is recognized by every state of the union; several foreign countries; and our own federal government the same is not true for my Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms with legalizes me to exercise my Constitutional Right.

Unfortunately, none of the states which share a border with Pennsylvania recognize Pennsylvania’s License to Carry Firearms; that means that I have to remove my firearm and leave it at home to legally travel to neighboring states.

The notion that I need to be disarmed before I can legally travel to a neighboring state is ridiculous and frankly it discourages me from visiting those other states. After all, I stand a much larger chance of dying as a result of a violent crime when I'm disarmed so why would I want to put myself at risk?

Please read the NRA’s fact sheet regarding concealed carry and these two pieces of legislation.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 861, the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2007.” Also, please contact your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and urge them to support S. 388, “… to provide a national standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed firearms in the State.”