BATF Bureau of Antics, Tom Foolery and Foul Ups?

If my Blog has a theme it is the absolute disconnect between the politicians and bureaucrats who presume to run this country and reality. I know, you thought it was one of those exercises where they let a chimp loose on a typewriter and look for patterns but I DO have a point. 

http://news.yahoo.com/justice-dept-faulted-gun-trafficking-operation-181210695.html

As my intention is to prove that the whole political process, as practiced in our country at present, is corrupt, venal, unconstitutional, shameless, heartless, tyrannical and just plain stupid then my work is done here. Show me who to give the Silver Bullet to, I’ll hop on Silver find Tonto and hit the road.

Nothing I can say will add to that article. But you don’t mind if I try do you?

First let me say that if you flag Republican and are rubbing your hands together in anticipation you might want to hold up a bit.  In my particular case “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is wrong on two counts. First; I know you two are not enemies, you are perfectly happy with the status quo.  Second: I consider both of you my enemies.

This country needs change and the first change is to put the Democratic and the Republican parties in the history books. Both of them have fewer principles than a slave trader and a moral compass that always seems to point back to them.  Hope I have made myself clear on that.

Let’s get back to Mr. Holder, his Justice Department and their BATF.  In synopsis this is what happened: the BATF started a program to catch people selling guns illegally across the border, in this program the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms would……. WAIT FOR IT NOW……. Sell guns illegally across the border.  

I know, when I first heard of this some months ago I thought that is just too silly to be true. The fact I was right about that did not mean it was NOT true however. The BATF did sell illegal firearms across the Mexican Border with the hope of catching people doing what the BATF was doing to catch them.  I need an asprin.

I will casually mention that what the BATF did was illegal but let me take you a step further. Let’s say Bolivia decided that to further their internal policy they needed to sell illegal weapons to purchasers inside the United States.  Illegally moving weapons into a sovereign foreign power is an act of WAR.

So the BATF, a subordinate of the Justice Department who reports directly to the Attorney General committed an ACT OF WAR against the State of Mexico. At this point outcomes become kind of academic. Whether the plan worked or did not work is overshadow by that whole “violation of national sovereign boundaries” thing.  Ever curious as I am though I wonder, did the plan work?

In point of fact, no the great BATF plan did not work. I can’t understand these are the same people who orchestrated Waco and Ruby Ridge, how could ANYTHING possibly go wrong? It did, guns got loose people got shot and, at least from the Justice Department’s point of view, the worse was an American Border guard got shot.

The crux of the problem, from Washington DC’s view,  was not that an illegal gun got placed in the hands of a madman, nor was it that this was done by a Commissioned Law Enforcement Officer,  there really was no problem that it was used to take another Law Enforcement Officer’s life. You are completely missing the point.

Illegal guns floating around, Mexican’s getting shot by the gross weight with said illegal guns, a Federal Agent shot dead by said illegal guns and the fact these guns were put into the hands that used them by the Federal Agency sworn to control Alcohol, Tobacco and FIREARMS. Oh, don’t forget explosives, they are in charge of explosives. Prey Dear Lord nobody gets any bright ideas about that.

The real problem, fellow citizens, is that because a Federal Agent was shot with an illegal weapon that was traced back to the BATF the great unwashed (that would be us) found out about. THERE is the problem.

 
Yes, as in all real crisis in our federal government, it is not really a problem until somebody knows about it.  No matter the scope, potential damage, unethical behavior or tyrannical excess it is really not a problem as long as it is a secret.  It’s not wrong until you get caught. There you have it, government by Sociopaths.

Trust me; I am not done with Mr. Holder or this subject.  This incident is like a short course on the arrogance, ethically bankruptcy, and disregard for our Constitution that pervades our government no matter which party is in power.

Neither the Republicans or the Democrats want to fix the problem so they are the prima fascia problem.

Next I would like to move on from here and discuss this issue of THE DOMESTIC TERRORIST threat. Interesting stuff that.  

OR I WILL HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL.... as Diplomacy

I watch the antics in the Mid East and think to myself, “Isn’t this where I came in?” Seriously, haven’t we seen all this before? How many times does your kid fall down on the floor, kick their feet, bang their heads and hold their breath until they turn blue before it quits being exciting?

Temper tantrum; that is what they are pitching and that is what we are seeing. Any parent who has semi-successfully raised a kid passed the terrible twos knows how to handle these people it does not require a bunch of Harvard and Yale educated talking heads.

The first principle is what the tantrumer (my word how you like it?) wants is irrelevant. What they want right now could be right, good and pure of spirit but if you give into the tantrum behavior tomorrow they will pitch the same fit for hot dogs with tatter chips covered with hot fudge. The issue is the tantrum itself.

So the first step by the tantrumee (that would be us) is to remain calm and think happy thoughts; tantrum and thunderstorm durations are self limiting by their violence.  Find a good book, pick up your knitting, continue with your life and ignore them.

But Ed, you cannot ignore the whole Middle East!!!!! Why not?  Let me give you an idea of how I might have handled this little twitch in the Middle East had I woke up as president this morning:

1.       My first step, while still running around in my presidential bathrobe, would be to contact the Secretary of State and recall ALL ambassadors to Middle East countries for consultation. Stable country, unstable, ally or enemy the Ambassador would be recalled for consultation. In Diplo-speak recalling an ambassador for consultation is a step before breaking diplomatic ties.

2.       Once breakfast was over I would call the Joint Chiefs of Staff and asked to see their plan to remove all military personnel from any ground bases in the Middle East within five days. We would review this plan together by close of business today.  I, as President and the Big Dog in the Bureaucratic Meat House would not entertain a “we can’t do that” option.

3.       After I had caused the Joint Chiefs to squat and have a cow I would call in my Chief of Staff and we would have us a little talk. The Chief’s first job would be to announce a joint session of Congress for that evening. No, I do not care about news cycles or other obligations. I get to drink out of a POTUS coffee cup.  I would also have the Chief drop by my legislative office and have them draft a bill based on the following facts:

a.       Today’s price for a barrel of crude oil is $98.94 which is down 6% from yesterday.

b.      Rounded up that’s a hundred bucks and adding a ten percent the president is ticked off tax that makes it a hundred and ten.

4.       Based on those two numbers I would propose emergency legislation that says the price of oil will NEVER fall below $110.00 any difference between the wholesale price and $110.00 per barrel would be collected as a tariff and used for the New Manhattan project.

5.       What new Manhattan Project? The one I would propose to find, develop and deploy viable alternative energy sources. The simple fact is we need such alternatives now, trying to find them might already be too late and the best reason for an emergency program now is because we were too stupid to do it thirty years ago.

I am certain you can see all kinds of problems with this strategy, so can I. I, frankly, cannot see a strategy for handling the spoiled children of the Middle East that is not going to mess up the house and cause problems.

In defense of my down and dirty answer or yours, whatever that may be; let me say it is better than anything the Democrats or Republicans have done in the last seventy years.

Going full circle in my little discussion what my fantasy presidency has done is to begin preparing the United States to ignore the Middle East. Pull out our soldiers, close off diplomatic relations and chop down their little money tree.

There is only one cure for tantrum behavior that is when the person throwing the tantrum realizes they cannot get what they want by hurting themselves. Once that lesson is learned it is remarkable how fast common sense breaks out.

The Republican Convention

So the Republicans had their convention and what a surprise the outcome was. Romney was chosen to run for President and Ryan for Vice President. Am I the only one who remembers when a political convention was where you chose the candidate? Now a political convention is largely about who can drop the most balloons and make the longest most boring speech.

Clint Eastwood was a breath of fresh air. Fresh air on two accounts: First, Mr. Eastwood has been a long standing adamant liberal. It’s commensurate with Rush Limbaugh endorsing Obama. Second, I found Mr. Eastwood’s speech to be funny, full of wit, somewhat irreverent and showing the pathos of a disillusioned idealist who was not particularly happy about where fate had taken him but brave enough to stand and deliver.

I assume that the Democrats and the press must have watched another speech. Allow me a moment to interpret the remarks made after Mr. Eastwood’s by his liberal (former) friends:

1. It was incoherent: The speech was largely extemporaneous, ad-libbed, off the cuff, funny and WE did not like it.

2. Talking to the empty chair proves that Eastwood is getting senile: Talking to the chair was unique which shows the creative ability to communicate that has made Mr. Eastwood one of the best actors and directors of his generation. The fact is that Mr. Eastwood is still more intelligent and creative than all of us and WE did not like it.

3. Eastwood’s mumbling, pausing delivery was inarticulate and made the whole speech incomprehensible: Academy award winning actor Clint Eastwood has delivered his lines in this Jimmy Stewartesque manner since he was a young actor on Rawhide. It has been a staple of his performances and has made him a master of the “quiet hero” role. Oh, yes, I almost forgot WE DID NOT LIKE IT.

I believe, on reflection that the liberal wing of our political debate just darned well did not like it. This is not a new stand for the liberal wing; I refer you to John Wayne and Clarence Thomas as two examples of this kind of ire. The Democrats prefer their actors and darkies (Judge Thomas’ own word) to stay in their place.

Clint Eastwood is not a liberal who defected. Clint Eastwood is a true liberal who has just had enough. He supported and voted for President Obama at the last election because Mr. Eastwood wanted to end the war, repeal the Bush attacks on the Bill of Rights and straighten out the economy.

Obama did none of these things and Mr. Eastwood holds him accountable for those failures. The only place I find a problem with Mr. Eastwood’s stand is that I believe he needs to take it one step further.

Late in Mr. Eastwood’s speech he reminds us that this is our country, that politicians are our employees and that it is time to stand up and take it back. I am pretty certain neither the Depublicans nor the Remocrats liked that.

Vote Independently.