Friday, January 21, 2011

The shadow war for the truth. "Management culture of ATF holds no regard for the life and/or safety of front line agents." STAND DOWN THE ATF!

Shadow war.

When I wrote the post below -- "Yogi Berra was right. Rumor of a big, bad ATF bust early next week." -- around midnight last night, I was acutely aware of the slippery ground upon which this shadow war for the truth of Operation Gunwalker and the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry is being fought.

Rumors can be -- and often are -- floated like dye in the sewer, just to see where it goes to close down leaks. Given the high stakes of the games being played behind the scenes by the White House and their Justice Department minions desperate to stop the truth from coming out, this is certainly a concern. But when a rumor -- any rumor -- comes from multiple sources, sources which have always been right in the past, sources who do not know each other, it is less likely to be disinformation dye and more likely to be the real turd.

But I must say that sewer dye was on my mind when I wrote the "rumor" announcement. Were this just about intelligence gathering and protecting sources -- even multiple sources -- the prudent thing to do would have been to stay silent, watch and wait. But it is not. Nor is this rumor about something trivial, like the length of ATF attorney James P. "Little Jim" Vann's penis. It is not even something merely scandalous like whether ATF "subject of interest" Ramsey A, Bear, in pursuit of whom the ATF wasted millions, was real (he wasn't). This is about something that can get a whole lot of people killed very quickly -- ATF agents and innocents as well. This is about something that, handled with all the skill that ATF has shown in the past when under pressure, could inadvertently start another American civil war.

What if the rumor is true and this brilliant plan turns into a botched shit storm like the incredibly misnamed "Trojan Horse" (the initial raid plan for Waco) and people get killed? No more free Wacos, remember? I've got a moral responsibility to try to prevent that.

It's not like the ATF street agents themselves are not thinking thoughts along these lines.

Responding to discussion of a journalist's query on CleanUpATF.org, ATF agent "Apostate" writes in response to the reporter:

If there is a cover-up and someone at ATF is at fault I hope you find out who is behind it. If you did not already know this the management culture of ATF holds no regard for the life and/or safety of front line agents. You should see first hand how they way they treat agents/employees at ATF. That is why a lot of agents/IOI's are now in the process of filling out applications for other agencies.

Look what ATF management did to the agents at Waco:

"Despite being informed that the Davidians knew a raid was coming, the ATF commander ordered that the raid go ahead, even though their plan depended on reaching the compound without the Davidians having been armed and prepared.[19] While not standard procedure, ATF agents had their blood type written on their arms or neck after leaving the staging area and before the raid because it was recommended by the military to facilitate speedy blood transfusions in the case of injury.[1][33]"

They (ATF mgt) then lied under oath and covered up their mistakes. No one in management lost their job. That is the culture at ATF and remains so to this day.

RIP Steve Willis, Robert Williams, Todd McKeehan and Conway LeBleu.


ATF management has a long history of screwing up for agenda reasons and callously making bets with street agents' lives -- not to mention the lives of innocent citizenry. And worse, once it happened, not one of the bloody-handed decision makers ever suffered a moment's inconvenience. They learned no lessons.

So, once I had the unconfirmed information, I asked myself, what is my responsibility? If I had had advance warning of Trojan Horse in early February 1993, would I have told anyone? After Ruby Ridge, yes, probably. And in the harsh light of 20-20 hindsight, with dead ATF agents and immolated babies? Certainly. So what is the moral and legal hazard to me if I am wrong? Well, perhaps considerable.

Let's assume, for purposes of argument, that this is a righteous raid on evil bad guys -- a Jihadi biker gang with explosives meant for a day care. Running with an announcement of the rumor could alert them, could get agents making the raid killed. Their deaths, the Justice Department would blare, would be on my hands and on the hands of my sources. (For it is the sources they truly wish to discredit.)

Indeed, to sell this story completely, the cornered bureaucrats enmeshed in this scandal could just be cynical enough and evil enough to put their agents in harm's way -- to go through with the raid even after it was blown, a la Waco. Standing self-righteously in a pool of blood telling cool lies is something that this agency, and other federal law enforcement agencies, have done in the past to their own great satisfaction.

Operational security is an absolute necessity for raiding Jihadi biker gangs, and were I certain that this was a righteous operation I would remain silent. But if one of my sources picks up this "rumor" in idle chatter in an Arlington, Virginia, watering hole, just how "secure" is ATF OPSEC? How serious are they, even if the target is legitimate?

Cops talk informally to each other, across jurisdictions. More so for federal cops. Especially if they disagree with the wisdom of the mission or its timing. And especially if those factors can get them killed. Cops bitch about their bosses just as much as anybody else, only ATF bosses have given their street agents far more to bitch about than most.

And this strikes to the heart of the legitimacy issue for ANY raid the ATF is planning to carry out now in this toxic atmosphere which the senior executives have done so much to poison themselves. I say this now to all the adults in the decision-making chain in federal government:

THE ATF SHOULD STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY FROM ALL MAJOR OPERATIONS UNTIL THE SENATE AND HOUSE CAN DEAL WITH ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE PROJECT GUNWALKER SCANDAL AND THE MURDER OF BORDER PATROL AGENT BRIAN TERRY WITH AN ATF "WALKED" RIFLE.


Current ATF and Justice Department senior management have, by their conduct in Project Gunwalker and other scandals, forfeited the presumption of legality, legitimacy and competence.

If Director-nominee Traver wants to retrieve this situation, draw back from the precipice, and save the agency he claims to love and wants to lead, he should by all means LEAD and stand down the ATF from major operations. He should explain to his bosses and their cover-up minions that this is the era of the Internet, that they just can't get away with running the hackneyed bureaucratic defense playbook from the 90s and obtain the same result.

If the raid on the "Jihadi biker gang" (or whoever it really is) is real, righteous and time-sensitive to protect the public, THEN LET ANOTHER AGENCY HANDLE IT. There is no shortage of federal policemen or agencies with jurisdiction. Especially take the current crop of ATF managers and their DOJ supervisors who got them into Project Gunwalker and other scandals OUT OF THE LOOP. Concerned as they are themselves right now about the break-down of their cover-up and who they can throw under the bus to preserve their own personal immunity from prosecution, they are not thinking clearly at the moment.

I call on everyone who cares about these issues to contact their Senators and Congressmen and make one simple demand.

STAND DOWN THE ATF FROM MAJOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS UNTIL THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF THE PROJECT GUNWALKER SCANDAL IS UNDERSTOOD AND OUT IN THE OPEN.

Stand. Them. Down.

Mike Vanderboegh
Alleged leader of a merry band of Three Percenters.

5 comments:

Defender said...

I will email my reps, even though the best I can expect is that the ATF-run raid will proceed but will "carefully balance the need for homeland security with the rights of the people." They have a form letter.

Anonymous said...

This is just FYI for you, Mike. Not necessarily being requested for your comment section. Your discretion.

From VA Shepherd of Virginia Citizens Militia:

"FYI - We just had an agent try to trap our unit with an illegal gun sale. Details below. Please post this on your forum and keep an eye our for him He goes by the screen name 42970torino. He has youtube videos connected to the KKK. We need to out this dirt bag and end his undercover career.

VA 011911 1823ET R-RP

Size: At least one undercover agent

Activity: Failed set up with an unlawful SBR sale.

Location: Virginia Citizen Militia Forum

Unit: Most likely BATFE. Goes by the screen name 42970torino

Time: 1823 Eastern Time

Equipment: IP 76.5.72.211


Here is what he posted:
"tommy gun for sale or trade (semi auto)

Postby 42970torino » Wed Jan 19, 2011 6:23 pm
ok,so im new and i have a nearly new tommy gun, the barrell is of legal length and the gun is semi auto so anyone can have it. i have a thompson hard case, violin case, extra 10'' barrell and compensator, 50rd. drum mag, four 30rd.stick mags, one 20rd stick mag, sling, stick mag pouch,drum mag pouch, horisontal military style grip and vertical "gangster" style grip. i dont really want to sell it unless the price is right. i am interested in trading for two ak's one folding stock, maybe one underfolder or somthin else. i might trade for one ak but it had better be badass, i may also trade for an ak and a pistol. if you are interested in my gun just let me know what you have. also, i may trade for one ak if it has a folding stock and a dookie load of mags. PM me, thanks"

First post and this guy is trying to sell a gun on the Q&A forum, not to mention that the fact that he has a 10 inch barrel for this rifle is constructive possesion in the eyes of the ATF and a violation of NFA laws.

Also, after an internet search of his screen name, I see that this turd-burglar has commented on some KKK videos. Apparently he is a big supporter of those assholes, if not a member himself. Or at least he is pretending to be in an attempt to set them up as well.

Luckily, we caught this about 0 seconds after he posted it. He was banned immediately. Nobody was even remotely interested in his offer. We figure he wanted to trade for two AKs simply because they look more "scary" than some other weapons while on display for the jury.

Please let the members of your unit know about this guy and his tactics. It seems worth it to set up a meeting with him just to take a few photos for intel collecting, then spread them around everywhere."

Shepherd

Mark Matis said...

Contacted Senator Rubio:

It appears that in an attempt to prevent a Congressional investigation of the illegal transfer of 500 guns to Mexico under the direction of the Phoenix office of BATFE (with approval from their DC headquarters when Phoenix agents complained), BATFE management may be about to direct a Waco-style raid in expectation that Media adulation over their "success" will derail any investigation of their criminal activities. Again, I realize that Senator Rubio is not on the Committee with jurisdiction over this agency, but I would appreciate it if he would contact those Senators who are and ask them to make it clear to BATFE that any such action will draw even further scrutiny.

Thank you for your help!

Erkl Holder said...

Hi Mike -
If you missed local new, they had two BAT-FU agents making brief appearances about their XX-month long operation in our hometown AO in which they arrested dozens of bad guys for felony arms possession cases. Most of the photos they put on the screen were of gangsta-thug looking fellows.
So they ARE trying to put a happy face on their agency for PR purposes, at least around these hyar parts.

Reg T said...

A "Jihadi Biker Gang"? I'm having a little trouble believing such is possible. (Turbans would come unraveled in the wind.)

Not that I have any doubt that BATFE would hold a "fire sale" to CYA their management, but "Jihadi Biker Gang" would have to be the fantasy of someone in management who is seriously out of touch with reality.

I hope the street dogs at BATFE communicate well enough with each other that they can stand down before doing something stupid at the behest of some lying ASAC.