CBS: "Mexican attorney general says 'full force of law' to be used in ATF gunwalking scandal investigation."

Ken Melson may be missing his one of these days.

FYI, Melson. They want your cojones on a stick. And I don't blame 'em a bit.

The Office of Mexico's Attorney General has issued strong, new comments in response to ATF Gunwalking allegations exposed in an ongoing CBS News investigation.

As we have reported, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms say over the course of a year and a half, superiors ordered them to allow thousands of weapons to cross into Mexico as part of a failed plan to gain intelligence and take down a major drug cartel.

Over the weekend, the Mexican attorney general stated: "The controlled trafficking of weapons is not authorized under the Mexican national legislation. An operation that would contemplate this would not have been acceptable to the Mexican government, and it will never be under any circumstance." The Mexican Attorney General also stated that it's conducting its own investigation to identify "the crimes that could have been carried out on Mexican territory."

Those statements were made one day after CBS News' exclusive interview with the former top ATF official in Mexico, Darren Gil. Gil stated that his own agency kept details of controversial operation known as "Fast and Furious" secret from him and his Mexico-based staff.

He also said that when he objected, his ATF supervisor in Washington repeatedly told him the case had been approved not only by ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson, but also by the Department of Justice, which oversees ATF.

Last week in an interview with the Spanish language network Univision, President Obama said that neither he nor Attorney General Eric Holder approved Fast and Furious. He reiterated that an Inspector General is investigating.

Mexican authorities await the results. "The Mexican government was not informed of any operation that included the controlled trafficking of weapons to Mexico," stated the attorney general's office in its communiqu??© issued over the weekend. "Sanctions will have to be carried out with the full force of law to whomever could have been responsible for the commission of the illicit goods."

Allowing guns to reach criminal suspects and the street without stopping them is known as letting guns "walk": law enforcement insiders say it's normally strictly forbidden because the guns could be used to injure or kill people. Gil told CBS News that unusual numbers of weapons from the Fast and Furious case were turning up at Mexican crime scenes after being used by drug cartel members. As the case and the flow of guns continued, he worried that the weapons would be used to kill innocent civilians, police officers, or military or government officials.

On Dec. 14th, two AK-47 variant assault rifles that ATF allegedly let "walk" a year before were found at the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Officials are also investigating a possible connection to the murder of Customs Agent Jaime Avila.

Among the outstanding questions: who knew of and approved the Fast and Furious operation, and when? Was a gunwalking strategy deployed in other cases? What was the evidence that caused officials to release two illegal immigrants arrested at the gunning down of Agent Terry? Why has a third been held, but not charged in the murder? If none of the men arrested the night of Agent Terry's murder were responsible, are there any leads as to whoever was? What weapon was used to kill Agent Terry? Where are all the weapons that ATF allegedly let walk into Mexico, but have not been recovered? Of the weapons that have been recovered, in what crimes were they used?

Department of Justice and ATF officials have not agreed to our repeated interview and information requests. So far, they have also refused to provide answers and documents to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who is investigating. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has joined the investigation.

Codrea: "Origins of ‘Project Gunwalker’ important for media to understand." & Issa Deadline Looming. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Major media continue their default position on the Project Gunwalker Scandal. Is this a CNN, ABC or NBC reporter? I can't tell. (H/T to Randy Dye for the illustration.)

David writes, in part:

Friend and colleague Dan Gifford, an Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Waco: The Rules of Engagement,” sent this bit of information to National Review Online’s David Rittgers in response to “Mexican Criminals, American Guns--Did the ATF help create its own crisis?”

However, the only reason CBS News, the L.A. Times, and the Center for Public Integrity are onto this ATF gun running story at all that I can see is because of the writings of David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh in the National Gun Rights Examiner. Codrea and Vanderboegh have been "bigfooted." That's the newsroom term for a star taking credit for a mere reporter's story. They deserve the credit.

In this case, credit has not been so much taken as assumed by others. Admittedly, the involvement of mass media breaks this through to a level we would otherwise be unable to reach, and that’s something we are grateful for. CBS News has done an outstanding job and uncovered much original blockbuster information on its own, and Vanderboegh and I stand ready to promote their work, and the work of others revealing new pieces of the puzzle on their own—something we will also continue to do ourselves.

This is bigger than mere self-interest, although of course that plays a part. There is a story here about how the establishment media has, for the most part, ignored a scandal that works against their agenda. There’s a story here about how two mere “bloggers” with virtually no organizational resources or “official” credentials, beat the press at its own game in uncovering a major scoop—a potentially significant indicator for “new media’s” role in the shape of things to come. And there’s a need to ensure that others in the major media outlets at least are aware of who they can talk to if they want to understand the unfolding evolution of this story.

Finally, there’s the hindsight awareness that had Mike and I had been listened to back in 2009, the fact that “dissident” ATF agents were openly complaining about Bureau management corruption and abuse should have been enough to provoke media interest and congressional oversight—and “Project Gunwalker,” along with the ongoing criminal violence it has reportedly enabled—would not have happened.

PLUS:

Dave Workman writes: Rep. Issa’s March 30 deadline for ATF documents looming.

Acting ATF Director Kenneth E. Melson has until Wednesday to provide several key documents requested by Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in the congressman’s probe of the Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious.

So far, according to a committee source, Melson has not responded to the letter, which was dated March 16. (Nor has there been a response on Melson's behalf from Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, who sent the now-infamous letter to Sen. Charles Grassley back on Feb. 4, “respectfully” requesting the Iowa Republican to back off in his Gunrunner inquiry, which had been launched following the slaying of Customs and Border Protection Agent Brian Terry. Grassley had sent two letters to Melson, who did not respond; Weich replied instead.) Asked what happens if Melson does not respond, the source said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Poor Melson?: Obama & Holder will give him the excremental end of the stick on Gunwalker. Will he be extradited to Mexico? What's next, the Hague?

Melson enjoins the Nuremberg defense. "I was only following orders."

So, on Friday and over the weekend I received reports that Acting Director of ATF Kenneth Melson (known to some ATF agents as "aka Elmer Fudd") had a town hall meeting with the agents in Baltimore. They are reported to have peppered him with questions about the Gunwalker scandal. The agent's grapevine has it that he tried to say that it was no big deal and that Dodson is simply a disgruntled employee because he botched a case and the U.S. Attorney's Office wouldn't give him (Dodson) a search warrant to stop some guns from going across the border. This is of course crap and the beginning of the character assassination which is likely going to be the smear tactic of choice during the hearings for the cover-up artists. Expect "Waco Jim" Cavanaugh to trot this one out soon. He, after all, cannot be held to account by Congress for lying about something that, when challenged, he can defend with a mere "Well, that's what some lying SOB told me, Congressman. I wasn't lying. I was telling the truth about a lie. Besides I'm retired so what can you do to me?"

Anyway, after this feeble performance, the agents are said to have peppered him with questions about where and who were the "stupidvisors" involved? Melson stammered. As one source says:

Precisely ......dumbass.....he (Dodson) was trying to stop the guns from WALKING and they wouldn't let him. When asked why he hasn't given at least an internal statement to the ATF masses ..... SOMETHING ..... he allegedly said he was told not to by Main Justice. Obviously he was not aware that Gil was coming forward.....how could they not be?

I agree with the sources. This was a pitiful performance on Melson's part. Can he really be that clueless as to where this is heading?

Now, let's review for a moment.

1. ATF headquarters ordered that firearms be allowed to "walk" across the border, where they reasonable expectation that they would kill Mexican citizens. (Indeed, the emails uncovered by Grassley and CBS indicate that ATF employees are gleefully reporting increasing murder rates and refer to "our guns".)

2. Obama says that he and Holder issued no such orders, placing the onus on Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer and Melson.

3. The facilitation of firearms smuggling to commit murder across borders is an act of war, contrary to every treaty and protocol we have with the Mexican government.

4. The Mexicans are some kind of pissed at the stacks of bodies that these Gunwalkers facilitated. They have already threatened to ask for the extradition of any ATF employee implicated in the scandal. I imagine the higher on the Gunwalker food chain you are, the more the Mexicans will want you. And if the US is unwilling to give up Melson for extradition, as I'm sure the Obamanoids are, then in order to placate growing domestic pressure Calderon, who is facing re-election soon, will go to the next level and file a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Melson, aka Elmer Fudd, believed what the wabbit and the duck told him and he is left, in the aftermath of Obama's and Holder's denials, with the Nuremberg defense: I was only doing what I was ordered to.

If I didn't know that Melson was, HAD TO BE, a willing actor in the Gunwalker scandal, I almost might feel sorry for him. But in light of the evidence already understood, defending himself with the twin cravenly excuses of smearing John Dodson's character and the Nuremberg mantra reveals Melson to be a despicable international criminal who deserves to stand before the bar of justice. I prefer American justice myself. But I'm sure that the Mexican government, this one or the one that follows when Calderon is dumped in the next election, will press for justice wherever and whenever it can.

Melson, bubba, you're a criminal now. Get used to it. If you're going to roll on your superiors, now's the time to pick up the phone and call Senator Grassley. The Nuremberg defense will get you exactly and precisely where it got the Nuremberg defendants -- swiftly convicted.


Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl (10 May 1890 – 16 October 1946). He was just following orders too.

Guardian: "How the US let Calderón save face." Removal of US ambassador done as a "temporary distraction" from Mexican anger at Gunwalker.

WikiLeaks was a handy excuse, but the US sacrificed its envoy to rescue Mexico's president – a vital ally in the 'war on drugs'

As both Mexican and American analysts have pointed out, Calderón's claims of US intervention by the embassy cables hold little merit. But the WikiLeaks releases have been valuable in allowing Calderón to galvanise Mexican anger toward the US (a common practice in Latin American politics) and temporarily distract the Mexican public from the mounting criticism of his government brought on by the US gun-trafficking and drone scandals.

Two weeks before Pascual's resignation, Mexican lawmakers had intensified demands to question senior Calderón officials about their knowledge of and role in the ATF's gun-tracking tactics. Mexico's congress was irate after it was revealed (by a US Embassy press release, no less) that Mexican authorities had been briefed on the ATF's gunrunning operations in the US – operations that ultimately led to thousands of weapons being allowed to "walk" into Mexico. Threats from Mexico's congress became still more menacing last week when congressional leaders from all the main parties considered challenging the constitutionality of the Calderón-sanctioned covert flights over Mexico by unmanned US drones – seen by legal experts as a direct violation of Mexico's constitution. And it was only last Thursday that Mexico's foreign secretary, Patricia Espinoza, was grilled by congress on the scandals for over four hours and accused of allowing the US to infringe Mexico's sovereignty.

Since Pascual's resignation, the Calderón cabinet has been able to defer and deflect the swelling congressional pressure provoked by the recent scandals. The US embassy in Mexico has already announced expected delays in the investigation of the ATF's work in Mexico (due to the change in ambassadors). Meanwhile, Mexico's congressional leaders have used Pascual's departure as an occasion to pat themselves on the back and table talk of launching an inquiry into the illegality of the US drone flights permitted by the Calderón government – an uncomfortable and costly political move for all involved.

The Calderón administration's strengthened position and increased confidence since Pascual resigned has already begun to show. Speaking to a visiting US congressional committee this Wednesday, Calderón called for increased US efforts to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico – his first direct comment on gun-trafficking since the ATF affair exploded in early March. The head of Mexico's national security council, Alejandro Poiré, has also gone on the offensive by denouncing in the media the US's security efforts and finally appearing before Mexico's lawmakers to answer questions on his knowledge of the ATF's arms-trafficking operations – as requested by congress over a week ago.

By appearing to cave in to Calderón over the WikiLeaks revelations, the US has rescued an important ally at a time of great political weakness, while managing to save face. As previous cables have shown, the US has grown increasingly worried about the constitutionality of Calderón's military campaign (describing its legal grounding as a "watered-down state of exception") and his unwillingness to invest in the modernisation of Mexico's judicial, military and federal institutions. But the US government has made a non-refundable investment in Mexico's battle with organised crime and cannot afford to allow Calderón – and thus US foreign policy in Mexico – to fail.

Pascual was, therefore, the victim not of discord over the WikiLeaks embassy cables, but of Calderón's mounting domestic problems. His has been the first head to fall in a series of scandals that have hit both countries' efforts to stem cartel-related violence and tackle Mexico's drug-trafficking organisations. With Pascual's resignation, the US state department has allowed Mexico's federal government to push the blame for both countries' controversial security policies onto the US. As further details on the Mexico-US security operations emerge, we can expect further anti-American rhetoric from the Calderón administration.

FOX: "The Obama Administration is Under Mounting Pressure for its Botched Gun Trafficking Investigation."

William La Jeunesse reports:

Congress and the Department of Justice appear to be headed for a showdown this week over documents detailing Operation Fast and Furious, the botched gunrunning sting set up by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that funneled more than 1,700 smuggled weapons from Arizona to Mexico.

The Justice Department has until Wednesday to deliver to congressional investigators a stack of records and emails naming the individuals responsible for the gun trafficking operation that may have killed dozens, if not hundreds of Mexicans, and is becoming a growing embarrassment for the Obama administration.

Praxis: Training for ruck marches.

Even if you're not going to Ranger School, there is some good info here.

Why can't I see a picture of this malignant manipulator & conspirator against the Constitution without having pleasant anticipation of a Nuremberg 2?

The latest.

Gov't "was being accurate when it talked about how guns from the US were flowing to the cartels -- it just omitted a tiny little detail."

"Merchants Of Death."

On a more domestic front, for some time we've been told for some time now that the Mexican drug cartels have been getting a lot of weapons from the US. There is a very hefty flow of weapons across the border to the south (maybe we're trading guns for illegal aliens or drugs or something), and it's our fault that Mexico is in an undeclared civil war right now -- in addition to our demand for illegal drugs, of course.

Well, now we know why the Obama administration is so convinced that gun-running into Mexico from the US is so prevalent and dangerous -- because they've been doing it.

OK, that might be an exaggeration, but just barely. The ATF (an agency that has NEVER been known to go "off the reservation" and "go rogue" and screw things up in ways that get a lot of people killed) was engaging in a "sting" where they allowed guns to be sent into Mexico -- deliberately passing up on opportunities to confiscate the weapons and arrest the smugglers in order to manage to put together the "big picture" and maybe catch some higher-ups in the Mexican cartels.

That those guns might (and were) used in the killings of innocent Mexicans wasn't much of a concern, nor was the thought that there is already plenty of evidence and charges against the cartels.

But the important thing here is, it made certain that the Obama administration was being accurate when it talked about how guns from the US were flowing to the cartels -- it just omitted the tiny little detail that it was the US government policy to assist in it.

Praxis: The Evolution of the Modern Military Backpack

The humble ALICE pack.

Excellent short summary.

Also, the Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE) Pack.

Rutgers students come close to having self-awareness of their current standing in the world & then fail. But, hey, they came close for a moment.

Future walking resupply pods for killer zombies opine: Free gun giveaway makes no sense.

And yet, they admit that:

"Maybe we are just hopelessly out of touch with modern society or maybe our status as college students from New Jersey is preventing us from understanding why people in Montana seem to love guns so much."

Yes, and, yes.

The Arab 1848? Someone else asks the question.

Back on 30 January I asked The Arab 1848?

Now, two months later, someone else asks the question -- "Is this 1848?: What history can teach us about the Arab revolutions."

Interesting analysis.

National Review finds a Gunwalker tree, walks up to it, sniffs the bark, puzzles about it, and in conclusion, misses the forest.

Jim Geraghty, who writes the Campaign Spot on National Review Online, and Cam Edwards, who hosts NRANews’s Cam & Company on Sirius XM from 9 p.m. to midnight weeknights, has discovered a Gunwalker Scandal tree in "The Scandal of ‘Gun-Walking’: Why did the Justice Department allow Mexican cartels to purchase 2,500 U.S.-made guns?".

They begin by asking:

Why did the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives stand by and watch as guns were transported across our southern border to Mexico, to be used by violent drug cartels? . . .

Then they ask:

Last Wednesday, President Obama said that neither he nor Attorney General Eric Holder approved the operation. But who within the Justice Department did authorize the dangerous operation? And who decided to ignore the judgment of the agents in the field? An e-mail from a group supervisor told ATF agents who were upset about the operation’s risks, “Whether you care or not, people of rank and authority at HQ are paying attention to this case and they also believe we are doing what they envisioned the Southwest Border Groups doing.” . . .

Then they get close to seeing the forest:

So, the DOJ appears to have initially lied about the circumstances, and it is now insisting the men at the top didn’t know what was going on. The Department of Justice at first referred the allegations to its own inspector general, an unusual choice in that the whistleblowers claim they already contacted the IG and never had their phone calls returned. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) is pushing for an outside investigation. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, wrote ATF acting director Kenneth Melson, charging that “you are not cooperating with congressional inquiries about Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious.” Issa has asked for documents about the genesis of the operation as well. . .

And then -- having walked up to a Gunwalker tree, sniffed the bark, and puzzled over it -- they miss the forest:

Shortly after he was confirmed, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that the Obama administration would seek to reinstate the assault-weapons ban that expired in 2004. But that proposal spurred quick and vehement opposition from 65 pro-gun House Democrats, making passage of a new ban all but impossible. Since then, when President Obama has mentioned the word “guns,” it has usually been in appearances with the Mexican president, talking about the need for “an enforcement strategy that slows the flow of guns into Mexico.”

With the president himself talking about the need to stop guns from crossing the border,why would the ATF allow just that to happen? Why would they take such an enormous risk of harming innocent life in both Mexico and the United States, to say nothing of risking exactly the sort of embarrassment and outrage that the current revelations are generating? What made this operation worth overruling the objections of the agents on the ground monitoring the transactions?

What we know about the “gun-walking” operation is already deeply troubling; nothing less than a full investigation to the satisfaction of the whistleblowers, Grassley, and Issa will suffice. The facts at present point to a dangerous and extraordinarily risky operation executed without the knowledge or consent of the top officials in our government, accurate claims initially falsely denied, and whisteblowers dismissed and ignored by the official watchdogs.

"The facts at present point to a dangerous and extraordinarily risky operation executed without the knowledge or consent of the top officials in our government"?????

Really? Now Cam Edwards is no stranger to this scandal. He's had David Codrea on his show before. (INCORRECT. SEE CORRECTION & APOLOGY BELOW.) Just exactly how they come to this conclusion is a wonderment to me. As with everything else about coverage of this scandal, however, I suppose we should be grateful they found the tree.

"THIS SIGN HAS SHARP EDGES! (Also, the bridge is out ahead.)"

CORRECTION: My mistake. David Codrea corrects my misapprehension.

"Now Cam Edwards is no stranger to this scandal. He's had David Codrea on his show before."

Nope. Never has.

I'm not of the body.




And that's more important to them than consulting with people who actually know what they're talking about.

If he wants to talk to a Gun Rights Examiner, he bypasses the national guy and goes to one of the regional writers. I think he's afraid if they let me on, I'll burst into a chorus of "The French Mistake."

My apologies to Cam for assuming him to be smarter than he actually is.

Mike Vanderboegh
III

CBS: "U.S., Mexico gun trail: Who knew?" The video version of the web story from Friday.

Folks,

Here’s a video version of the Web story with Darren Gil that was posted on Friday. This aired on the CBS Sunday Evening News and has been airing on CBS' “Up to the Minute” broadcast airing in the overnight hours across the country (at different times between now and 6pm).

The Mask Slips: When Billy Beck said "All politics in this country now is just dress rehearsal for civil war," this is what he meant.

Collectivists declare, "No more Mister Nice Guy."

"All politics in this country now is just dress rehearsal for civil war." -- Billy Beck, August 2009.

"Media Matters' war against Fox."

The liberal group Media Matters has quietly transformed itself in preparation for what its founder, David Brock, described in an interview as an all-out campaign of “guerrilla warfare and sabotage” aimed at the Fox News Channel.

The group, launched as a more traditional media critic, has all but abandoned its monitoring of newspapers and other television networks and is narrowing its focus to Fox and a handful of conservative websites, which its leaders view as political organizations and the “nerve center” of the conservative movement. The shift reflects the centrality of the cable channel to the contemporary conservative movement, as well as the loathing it inspires among liberals — not least among the donors who fund Media Matters’ staff of about 90, who are arrayed in neat rows in a giant war room above Massachusetts Avenue.

We are at war for the soul of America. The other side makes no pretense that it is engaged in all-out, no-holds-barred, ideological warfare.

Funny thing though. They are attacking FOX, when it is CBS that has the story with the potential to bring down the Leviathan's legitimacy in a thunderous crash. Perhaps we should encourage them to keep attacking FOX. "Hold onto 'em by the nose, and kick 'em in the ass," as Patton said.

Gaviota provides us with a better translation of the El Universal article. "The United States 'shall be punished with all the weight of the law.'"

Remember the wretched Google translation of this? Gaviota does better.

Mike, here's a better translation:

Statements by the former head of the Office for the Control of Alcohol, tobacco and firearms weapons (ATF) in Mexico, Darren Gil, who revealed that they ordered him not to inform the Mexican Government on the covert operation Fast and Furious, which put some two thousand weapons in the hands of the Mexican criminal organizations, prompted the Mexican Government to push Washington to conclude the investigation carried out with regard to this operation.

After the revelations were revealed by Gil, who worked at the Embassy of United States in Mexico, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) expressed "it's serious concern at assertions" on alleged unlawful acts within the framework of the operation.

Gil told the television network CBS that they knew from 2010 the progress of the operation fast and furious at the Embassy of United States in Mexico, and the direct order received from Washington was to not inform the authorities of our country that they were tolerating the passage of thousands of weapons. He also assured that the direct supervisor in Washington did know of the operation, which implied undercover weapons trafficking, and that the highest authorities of the ATF had authorized such a plan.

"In relation to new statements issued by Mexican and U.S. media, as well as the Center for Public Integrity, on the operation called fast and furious, led by the ATF, Mexico's Government ratifies its serious concern of the claims of alleged unlawful acts within the framework of the operation," the Attorney-General said in a statement yesterday.

The Mexican Unit stressed "the importance that the investigation is carried out as soon as possible, to clarify the facts".

The PGR added that, based on the results of the investigations, the United States "shall be punished with all the weight of the law as to whomever might be responsible for the commission of illicit acts."

The unit reiterated that the Mexican Government was not informed of any operation involving the uncontrolled transfer of weapons to Mexico and that this practice is not permitted under national law, so an operation which contemplated that would not have been acceptable to the Government of Mexico under any circumstances.

"The Government of Mexico reiterates its demand to the authorities of United States that they stop the flow of illegal arms towards our country, that it is precisely this resource that facilitates the violence generated by criminal organizations," said the Attorney General of the Republic.

The Government of the United States had no comment on the statements of Gil.

Gunwalker Roundup: "If it got that high, odds are good it would have gotten to the AG. And if it got to him, odds are decent that it got to the WH."

"I am not a Gunwalker!"

David Hardy, prompted off an astute comment by our own Dedicated Dad, gets closer to the ultimate truth of Gunwalker in: "'Gun Walker' keeps growing."

Exactly. How could anyone imagine (3). If the Mexican authorities don't know, they can't investigate (might not anyway, but if they don't know they surely cannot. ATF can hardly mount an on the ground investigation there, esp. without notifying local law enforcement. All that could ever be ascertained was that guns shipped to cartels wind up at crime scenes, and everyone already knew that. That'd get you nowhere toward making a big case.

Another thought: I'd initially figured knowledge of this operation wouldn't have gone to high levels. The managers who were running it probably would have figured that if they sent the info up the chain of command, somebody might stop it, or have lots of awkward questions, or delay until he got a lot of consensus (as in CYA -- spread the blame around if things go bad). But now it appears knowledge did go high. The guy who is telling the attache that it's gone to the agency head and higher is implicitly telling him: "if you keep arguing about this, you'll eventually have to explain to someone a LOT more powerful than you, and someone's gonna phrase it as "the operation you allowed -- there's some attache guy who thinks only a moron could have allowed it." And now it appears knowledge got as high as an Assistant Attorney General, an appointee. If it got that high, odds are good it would have gotten to the AG. And if it got to him, odds are decent that it got to the White House. I note the official denials are that anyone high up "approved" it. You can of course know of something, decide to let it run its course, and still deny having "approved" it. CYA and all that. "They told me about it, I just assumed they knew what they were doing."

Kurt Hofmann asks: "Does Obama have too many 'moving parts' to get handle on 'Project Gunwalker'?"

Latin American Herald Tribune: "Ex-Agent: U.S. Justice Department OK’d Flow of Guns to Mexico."

Bill Conroy of The Narcosphere writing in Salem-News: "Federal Agency’s 'Good Story' Spin Conceals Ugly Underbelly of the Drug War; ATF’s PR Gun Busts Perpetuate Drug-War Fairy Tale."

Van Helsing writes at Moonbattery.com: "NRA Provides Details on Obama's Mexican Gunrunning Operation." Riiiiiight.

Thomas Amshay writing at the Digital Journal: "Project Gunrunner — U.S. government train wreck."

Robert Farago: "ATF Agent: Department of Justice Greenlighted Fast and Furious."

And finally there is this discussion on CleanUpATF.org.

First, ATF agent Thor writes:

To President Obama and Senator Grassley,

In the past, HEADS have ROLLED at ATF and it has been the same old BS for the last 20+ years. With each new Director, we get a bunch of new maggots!

This is the arrogance of the past leaders and the leaders we currently have. We need change that we can believe in!

The solution is simple and very obvious. The rules need to apply to everyone in the same manner and not have special treatment for some. This double standard is at the core of the corruption at ATF. There are some that believe that they are entitled and are above the rules, regulations and even the laws of these United States!

I equate the current leadership of ATF to some of these dictators that are being ousted in the Middle East that terrorize and abuse their own people without being held responsible or accountable for their actions. It is time that this terror and abuse stopped and these ATF dictators are ousted!

Agent Simple Man responds:

Excellent point Thor. The current events at ATF are a micro study of the macro events in Egypt and Libya. Abused citizens having enough of oppression and rising up. Things aren't going to work out much better for Melson and crew than they have for Mubarek and Gaddafi.

ATF is the Titanic. The ship is going down. There are a limited number of lifeboats. The situation we are all sitting and watching is which leaders get on the lifeboats and which ones go down with the ship. We all know the best bet is that the crew members die and the Captains seek safety.

Finally, Agent GoodWorker:

People, I was thinking the same thing this morning. Now the question is, will the DOJ act similar to Egypt and correct things in a lawful and respectful manner or are they going to stand by and let ATF management retaliate like Gaddafi or the leaders of Bahrain. Are we going to witness similar actions like the news played video of the Libyan lady who went to a hotel to tell the Western media of her alleged rape and torture by the government as she is dragged away with a hood on her head? Who is going to stand up and do the lawful and respectful thing in this case to correct all of the wrongs that have been alleged on this web page? We are showing the rest of the world that we too can use lawful forms of communication such as the internet and the media to bring about positive change in a corrupt system.

Praxis: More on web gear.

Just received this note:

Hi Mike,

I'd also like to recommend the following book related to American web gear. I do Vietnam living history displays . . . and this book has been invaluable in both ventures: American Web Equipment, 1910-1967, by Martin J. Brayley, published by Crowood Press c.2006. The text is very informative about every version of US web gear, all it's parts and accessories, and there are MANY pictures, all large and hi-res. Worth every penny. A picture of the cover is attached.

Many thanks for your extensive effort on Gunwalker as well. Keep up the good fight, we appreciate it!


Mike D

"Maybe we don't have any senses." Alabama's Manroy buys Sabre Defense. Good on us.

I'm a little late in noticing, but Alabama's U.S. affiliate of Britain's Manroy, based in Scottsboro, beat out Colt in buying Sabre Defense.

My attention was drawn to the above article by JJ forwarding this story about how it came to be on the auction block --

"Guns made by Nashville's Sabre ended up in Middle East: 4 execs to change not guilty pleas in arms trafficking case."

Even an imperfect Google translation of this article indicates the Mexican government is some kind of pissed over Gunwalker.

I am printing both the original in Spanish plus the wretched Google translation of this important article from the Mexican newspaper El Universal.

Revelation of ATF worries Mexico

PGR demands to Washington pains to those who have broken the law

The statements of the former leader of the Office for the Control of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) in Mexico, Darren Gil, who revealed that they ordered not to inform the Mexican government on the Fast concealed operation and furious, that put in the hands of the Mexican criminal organizations some two thousand weapons, they motivated that the Mexican government to press to Washington to conclude the investigation that carries out with regard to that Operating.

After being known the revelations of Gil, who worked in the embassy U.S. in Mexico, the attorney general's office of the Republic (PGR) expressed "its serious worry by the affirmations on supposed illicit acts in the framework of said operating".

Gil said to the American chain CBS that in the embassy of the United States in Mexico knew from 2010 on the Fast and furious development of the operation, and the direct order that received from Washington went the one of not informing to the authorities of our country that was tolerating the passage of thousands of arms.
In addition he assured that his direct supervisor in Washington let know him of the operation, that he implied the watched traffic of armament, and that the principles authorities of the ATF were authorized this plan.

In relation to the new given affirmations to know by American and Mexican mass media, as well as by the Center for Public Integrity, on the Fast and furious operation denominated, lead by the ATF, the government of Mexico he within the framework ratifies his serious preoccupation by the affirmations on supposed illicit acts of operative saying? , he exhibited yesterday the Office of the judge advocate general in an official notice.

The Mexican dependence underlined "the importance that said investigation be carried out with possible the greater speed, in order to that they clear the facts".

The PGR added that in function of the results of the investigations, United States "should sanction with all the weight of the law to whom or who they could turn out to be responsible for the commission of illicit".

The dependency reiterated that the Mexican government was not informed into any operative one who included the transfer controlled from arms to Mexico and that this practice is not authorized under the national legislation, reason why an operation contemplated that it had not been acceptable for the government of Mexico, nor will be it, under no circumstance.

“The government of Mexico reiterates his demand to the authorities of the United States so that they stop the illegal flow of arms towards our country, since indeed this resource facilitates the violence generated by the criminal organizations”, said the General Office of the judge advocate general of the Republic.

The government of the United States has not realised any commentary on the declarations of Gil.

The original:

Domingo 27 de marzo de 2011

Revelación de ATF precupa a México

PGR exige a Washington penas a quienes hayan violado la ley

OPERATIVO. Agentes especiales de la ATF examinan armas confiscadas que tenían como destino México y que presuntamente serían para cárteles del narcotráfico (Foto: ARCHIVO EL UNIVERSAL )

Domingo 27 de marzo de 2011

Alberto Morales | El Universalalberto.morales@eluniversal.com.mx

Las declaraciones del ex jefe de la Oficina para el Control del Alcohol, Tabaco y Armas de Fuego (ATF) en México, Darren Gil, quien reveló que le ordenaron no informar al gobierno mexicano sobre la operación encubierta Rápido y furioso, que puso en manos de las organizaciones criminales mexicanas unas dos mil armas, motivaron que el gobierno mexicano urgiera a Washington a concluir la investigación que realiza con respecto a ese operativo.

Tras conocerse las revelaciones de Gil, quien trabajaba en la embajada de Estados Unidos en México, la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) expresó “su seria preocupación por las afirmaciones sobre supuestos actos ilícitos en el marco de dicho operativo”.

Gil dijo a la cadena estadounidense CBS que en la embajada de Estados Unidos en México conocían desde 2010 sobre el desarrollo de la operación Rápido y furioso, y la orden directa que recibieron desde Washington fue la de no informar a las autoridades de nuestro país que se estaba tolerando el paso de miles de armas. Además aseguró que su supervisor directo en Washington le hizo saber de la operación, que implicaba el tráfico vigilado de armamento, y que las máximas autoridades de la ATF habían autorizado dicho plan.

“En relación con las nuevas afirmaciones dadas a conocer por medios de comunicación estadounidenses y mexicanos, así como por el Centro para la Integridad Pública, sobre la operación denominada Rápido y furioso, conducida por la ATF, el gobierno de México ratifica su seria preocupación por las afirmaciones sobre supuestos actos ilícitos en el marco de dicho operativo”, expuso ayer la Procuraduría en un comunicado.

La dependencia mexicana subrayó “la importancia de que dicha investigación se realice con la mayor celeridad posible, a fin de que se esclarezcan los hechos”.

La PGR añadió que en función de los resultados de las investigaciones, Estados Unidos “deberá sancionar con todo el peso de la ley a quien o quienes pudiesen resultar responsables de la comisión de ilícitos”.

La dependencia reiteró que el gobierno mexicano no fue informado de ningún operativo que incluyera el trasiego controlado de armas a México y que esta práctica no está autorizada bajo la legislación nacional, por lo que una operación que lo contemplara no hubiera sido aceptable para el gobierno de México, ni lo será, bajo ninguna circunstancia.

“El gobierno de México reitera su demanda a las autoridades de Estados Unidos para que detengan el flujo ilegal de armas hacia nuestro país, ya que precisamente este recurso facilita la violencia generada por las organizaciones criminales”, dijo la Procuraduría General de la República.

El gobierno de Estados Unidos no ha realizado ningún comentario sobre las declaraciones de Gil.

Praxis: Excellent Short History of USGI Field Mess Gear: Haversacks, Buttpacks, Canteens, Cups, Meat Cans, etc. plus other combat equipment resources.

Current issue MOLLE Equipment.

The modern militiaman is equipped and accoutered with what gear he has inherited, picked up at surplus stores or brought back from the various wars of the 20th and 21st Century.

As evidenced by some reaction to my posts on pistol belts
here and here, there are a number of folks who, through no fault of their own, could benefit from a short course on the history and usage of US military field gear.

This is an excellent place to start.

Longer, more comprehensive but still well worth the read is David Cole's 2007 Survey of U.S. Army Uniforms, Weapons and Accoutrements. Cole writes:

The Survey of U.S. Army Uniforms, Weapons and Accoutrements is an expanded version of the classes on uniforms, field equipment and small arm given at the Basic Curatorial Methods Training Course held at the U.S. Army Medical Museum, Fort Sam Houston, Texas in August 2007.

The purpose of this study is to provide a quick reference for the identification of the basic uniforms, accoutrements and small arms used by the American soldier from the period of the American Revolution to the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan all in one source, rather than in seven or eight different books or websites.

Obviously to the modern militiaman putting together a fighting set of "web gear", almost everything prior to the mid-Twentieth Century is of historical interest only, but still there are tricks. For example, take this War Between the States soldier.



Note that he has his cartridge box slung over his shoulder, but secured beneath his waist belt. This is to keep his cartridge box from flapping excessively or shifting out of place. Soldiers often did the same with their haversacks or canteens, tucked under the belt on the other side. (The knife and revolver stuck in the belt are photographer's props, meant to make the soldier look more war-like to the folks back home.)

Today we have fellows who intend to fight light like this young man.



Note the homemade M-14 magazine bandoleer, crafted by his mother from a pattern derived by deconstructing a four pocket M16 bandoleer, but assembled out of stouter woodland cloth and with the addition of fastex buckles on each flap. Now if this young man had a slung two-quart USGI canteen (or some other water bottle) on the other side, he would find, like the 19th Century soldier above, that a simple waist belt would hold them both in place rather well when running. He could then put his extra bandoleer with stripper clips over that. (Yeah, I know he needs a sling for the China Doll. He had one but the fussy photographer made him take the patrol sling off for the purposes of the photograph.)

Another excellent resource is US Army Combat Equipments 1910–88, part of the Osprey Men-at-Arms Series. Written by Gordon L Rottman and illustrated by Ronald Volstad, this little book (Paperback; January 1989; 48 pages; ISBN: 9780850458428) has a wealth of information on the changing nature of US combat equipment from 1910 through to 1988.



It is now out of print, I believe, but you can still find copies now and then at hobby shops, gun shows and used book stores.

Don't forget Field Manual 21-15 as a source,



and my follow-up post containing this link on MOLLE gear.