What a day. JPFO awards David and me "The David and Goliath Award." And the Gunwalker tips just keep rolling in.

For David and me, it felt a little like the Blues Brothers. It was Chicago, most everybody in authority was looking to get us if they could, and we were on a mission from God. The biggest difference was that only David was wearing a suit. That, and the fact that he looks nothing like Elwood.

Looking back a few years from now, I'll probably remember yesterday as one of the most whirlwind days I've had in the Gunwalker Scandal. Because of a mix-up in arrangements for the plane ticket, I didn't fly out of Birmingham until after 5:00 PM, Friday, but still managed to make it (late) to the reception after a death march through O'Hare to recover my one bag (that did my newly cast-free foot no good), and then a wild ride through traffic to the hotel with a monetarily-incentivized cab driver from Iran. Linked up with Larry Pratt, David Codrea and, a new addition to our merry band, "Tex" Fuller, a documentary maker of great skill and long experience who has just received a big chunk of change from an anonymous donor to begin a documentary on Gunwalker -- a wonderful turn of events due in no small measure to Larry Pratt's considerable efforts. Larry, as readers will know, was an early member of the Coalition of Willing Lilliputians and made great efforts to help us get Congressional attention and whistleblower status for the agents early on.

(Have I mentioned before that y'all ought to join Gun Owners of America?)

Anyway, after introductions and "talking a little treason" to the federal leviathan with friends old and new, I finally collapsed into an over-stuffed chair in Larry Pratt's hotel room that looked far more comfortable than it actually was and, after working on stuff on the laptop for the next day's conference, finally got about two hours sleep.

The SAF conference was amazing, mostly for the huge gathering of Second Amendment activists, attorneys, etc., from all over the country -- men and women who individually and collectively represent a clear and present danger to the fortunes of the gun-grabbers in this country. I met a lot of folks that I had long heard of, but never before got a chance to shake hands with. It was all in all rather humbling.

David Codrea received an award from SAF, and, at a reception later that evening, we both received one from JPFO. I'm looking at it now --The JPFO David and Goliath Award "for intrepid investigative journalism that exposed a major national scandal." When I get a chance, I'll scan it and post it here. However, readers are cautioned to hold all applause until the end of the scandal. I'm afraid I teared up a bit, thinking how Aaron Zelman would have been dancing a hora at the opportunities that the Gunwalker Scandal has given us to truly attack the whole legitimacy of overweening federal power.

Lord, I miss Aaron. He was one righteous man.

I'm afraid I didn't give the conference all the attention that it deserved because I was constantly called out of it to talk to sources -- by phone and in person -- and make arrangements with allies for common action on different fronts. David and Dave Workman got to present a panel on Gunwalker and did well.

But it was the sources, and the stories and new revelations that they brought me, that occupied most of my time. Folks, this is going to be a big week for the David & Mike "exclusives" starting tomorrow. That's all I can tell you at the moment. "Film at eleven," as they say.

Well, I've got to get ready for today's morning session, but I'll be cutting it short and flying out of the Kingdom of Rahmutopia (formerly known as Daleyville, Inc.). I have a four hour layover in Indianapolis, and although I'm fond of most Hoosiers, it will be an interminable wait. I'll be writing our exclusive for Monday though, so I won't waste the time. I'll be back in Birmingham by 9 o'clock or so tonight.

When I lay down in my own bed tonight, hopefully I will have done as much damage to the future prospects of the Gunwalker conspirators as I possibly could.

Before I close, I'd like to humbly thank all those who used that button on the upper right to send me the voluntary subscriptions that helped finance this trip. I know that I have spent your resources well on this mission.

As time goes by, you'll all find out how well.

FOX: Republicans Step Up Pressure on Holder as More Details Surface on 'Fast and Furious'

'The new inquiry comes from Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Despite recent personnel changes at the Justice Department, Smith told Holder in a letter Friday the department cannot 'pin this scandal on a few individuals and expect it to be forgotten.'"

Off to conference.

More later.

"I aim to misbehave." -- CPT Malcolm Reynolds.

GOP candidates: "When it comes to Fast and Furious, mum has been the word from the very beginning."

U.S. has yet to explain Fast and Furious to Mexico.

Last night’s debate was disappointing in several respects, but in none more so than that the moderators asked no questions and the candidates spoke no words about the dangerous idiocy and likely corruption of this administration revealed by recent controversies.

But, then, when it comes to Fast and Furious, mum has been the word from the very beginning. Not only has the Justice Department refused to cooperate with congressional investigators and not only has the DOJ IG potentially compromised Congress’ investigation into the affair, but the federal government also failed to apprise the Mexican government of the fatuous and ultimately lethal operation.

A message from Sipsey Street Irregulars to the Gun Rights Policy Conference.

"Nothing concentrates the mind so wonderfully as the prospect of being hung in morning." -- Benjamin Franklin.

A message from Sipsey Street Irregulars to the Gun Rights Policy Conference:



If you don't want a second term of murderous, Constitution-subverting gunwalking, open a second front.

The next hearing of the Issa committee on the Gunwalker Scandal will begin sometime early in October. We are promised one more after that before the end of the year. The format of previous hearings, although understandable, is unwieldy and too truncated for in depth truth-getting from a particular witness.

The modified limited hangout release by the White House of selected emails between "Gunwalker Bill" Newell and NSC staffer Kevin O'Reilly and then the admission that O'Reilly's boss Dan Restrepo was briefed on Fast and Furious (all the while denying that the anybody in the White House knew anything about gunwalking), demonstrates their abject fear that this scandal will, at least, destroy the chances of a second term.

Understand, the "unidentified" White House senior staffer quoted in the various stories could not have opened his mouth without the personal approval of Obama. He is now getting regular updates on what might be truthfully, if uncharitably, described as his administration's cover-up of the Gunwalker Plot. Indeed, sources say that there are now daily damage control meetings being held in the White House.

There will be no more unscripted press moments from Obama such as the one on Univision earlier this year. The attack on Issa by the New York Times, as oafish and clumsy as it was, suggests that these people are now getting advice from the Clintonistas -- and probably Hillary herself -- on how to handle a cover-up -- by attacking the trurh seekers.

The selective release of the emails proves that the Obamanoids are now in full damage control mode, for as Ben Franklin quoted Samuel Johnson, "Nothing concentrates the mind so wonderfully as the prospect of being hung in morning."

That same sentiment can work for the investigation into the truth of the matter, for once some of these malefactors are put on the Congressional hot seat under oath they will more reason to come clean. Let's face it, not enough questions are being asked of too few people who were at the genesis of this scandal, and if that pace continues some of the malefactors will die of old age before they face justice.

So, it is time to open a second front, or even a third front, in the search for truth in the Gunwalker Plot. As before, since the beginning, this will have to be from the bottom up.

Here's our first suggestion. Let's get the House Foreign Affairs Committee working on the foreign policy implications of the Obama administration violating ITAR, facilitating the smuggling of weapons and committing numerous acts of war against a sovereign country and its people. There are several GOP members on this committee who are already on record about this scandal. Let's make them put their money where their mouths are. They have the power to call department heads such as Hillary Clinton, Janet Napolitano and others who can speak to who was the "guiding hand" behind this multi-agency operation and scandal.

Here's our second suggestion: Lamar Smith. From Texas, Smith is not only the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee but he sits on the House Homeland Security Committee. Both of these committees have the jurisdiction and the authority to pursue other avenues of this scandal which can complement, not conflict with, the Issa committee. We have been told off the record that the Issa committee has to focus their inquiry and not get involved in what are, to them and their brief, secondary issues. Fine. Lamar Smith, on the other hand, can find several other committee venues and many more resources to pursue the truth. The FBI, for example, apparently "disappeared the "third gun" at the Terry murder scene, manipulated the NICS system in favor of felon straw buyers and even let three suspects caught at the Terry shootout go walking themselves -- back to Mexico. Any of these acts in furtherance of the cover-up of the felony murder of a federal agent is itself a felony. Does this not cry out for a House Judiciary Committee hearing with Robert Mueller and his FBI minions on the under-oath hot seat? Lamar Smith can make that happen.

Here's our third suggestion. The Issa hearings will be over in a couple of months. Issa himself says he is almost ready for a special prosecutor in this case. But there are special prosecutors and then there are special prosecutors. Who should appoint one? Eric Holder so that his hand-picked flunky can operate out of DOJ? We have already seen how compromised the Office of Inspector General's office has been in their forwarding of the Lone Wolf audiotapes directly to the agent who is on them -- Hope McAllister -- supposedly without the DOJ attorney running the OIG's office even listening to them. There is, however, precedent for setting up an independent House-centered investigation out of the Sergeant-at-Arms office with full arrest powers within the District of Columbia. We would like to see some discussion at this Conference on just how we can best obtain an aggressive special prosecutor to go after the Gunwalker conspirators who now run the Justice Department, FBI, ATF and other agencies.

If the GOP is sincere about getting to the bottom of this, they will use ALL their considerable resources in the House to do so. If gun rights advocacy groups such as the NRA are serious about Gunwlaker, then let them put there money, time and effort where their mouths are: demand a second front in the congressional drive to find the truth.

It is time to crank up the emails, phones and faxes again, folks.

Demand a second -- or third, or fourth -- front in the Gunwalker Plot investigations.

This scandal coverage has been driven from the bottom up, from the very beginning. No one thought we'd get "mainstream" news coverage, but we did. No one thought we'd get the GOP seriously involved in finding out the truth, but we did. No one thought we'd ever get hearings, but we did. You did that -- by demanding it.

You did it before, you can do it again.

Let's finish these criminal bastards' cover-up, once and for all.

Demand a second front in the Gunwalker Scandal investigation.

Sipsey Street Irregulars
(sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com)

Shameful indeed. Gun show promoter lies about the law and does Charlie Schumer's work for him with a smile.

Received the photo above along with this explanation from Irregular Mark from New York.

This picture was taken at the main entrance to the Rochester, NY Gun Show, put on by the “Empire State Arms Collector’s Association” (esaca). I mentioned that there was no such federal law and had some of the dealers there argue with me about it. They not only claimed there was such a requirement, but were supportive of it and claimed I’d be in “big trouble” if I made a private sale without a background check. I suspect they just wanted folks making a private transaction to come over and pay them an FFL fee for the privilege of selling their private property to another private citizen. Shameful.

Armenia celebrates 20 years of independence.

Interesting Kalshnikovs with suppressors.

Interesting development. Lamar Smith bestirs himself at last. But to what end?

Judiciary Chairman Questions Dual Role of Acting ATF Chief.

The citizen disarmament lobby's old "permanent director" fiddle being played by a GOP bigwig. . . But to what purpose? When I see the whole letter, I'll post it here and then maybe we'll have a better idea.

Successfully down behind the lines in Eisengard-by-the-Lake. Surrounded by orcs but linked up with some of the Coalition of Willing Lilliputians.

Didn't get into the Kingdom of Rahmutopia until late (long story). Will be there at the Gun Rights Policy Conference bright and early tomorrow. There will be an important Gunwalker announcement tomorrow. Of that I can assure you. Well, it is 11:30 Central or thereabouts and I still have to give y'all your money's worth, so I'd better get cracking on that.

Torpedo . . . Los!

Sipsey Street Exclusive: ATF agent in LA office commits suicide.

Awaiting my re-scheduled flight (won't be into Chicago until after 8pm now), I was informed about the suicide of ATF agent Jeff Ryan of the LA Field Division. He had an EEOC case that had, according to one of my sources, "whistleblower implications." This is certainly unrelated to Gunwalker, but it is indicative of the living hell that ATF executives can make of an agent's life when they choose to do so. The case was progressing, but Mr. Ryan apparently decided to check out prematurely. I will have more information when I hear it.

About to drop behind enemy lines.

"All right, all you sonsabitches, get your gear. Vanderboegh's coming to town."

Equipment check: Got my cane, my C-Pap machine, my medications and my laptop in the 101st Airborne pelican case my son gave me. The next reportage you'll get from me will be from Chicago later this afternoon or evening. Say a little prayer that I come through the TSA groping without flashbacks. Hope to see some of you at the Gun Rights Policy Conference.

Bail money can be contributed by clicking on the icon to the right. ;-)

Last minute observation: You know, the threat the Justice Department perceives from me is all out of proportion to the actuality. If I had a tattoo that reflected this truth it would not be "Death From Above." More like "Discomfort From Above."

-- Old fat man with a cane, signing off. See you on Drop Zone Chicago.

Confederate Yankee also observes the strange inactivity of Eric Holder's punkass flunky boy, Patrick Leahy.

Leahy: "You know, sir, it really is embarrassing when you call me your bitch in public."

"Leaky" No More.

I understand from one Senator Leahy's constituents -- who kindly forwarded my original "punkass flunky boy" post to the Senator's office and then followed up with a phone call -- that he and his staff REALLY don't like for him to be called "Eric Holder's punkass flunky boy." The telephone exchange was heated and short.

Of course, all the Senator has to do to avoid the moniker is have serious hearings on Gunwalker. But of course that will never happen, for he is, truly, Eric Holder's punkass flunky boy.

So far, GOP candidates are silent on Gunwalker.

What are they waiting for, Christmas?

Reaction to the Newell Letter "correcting" his testimony.

Just Gunwalker Bill, lyin' like a sack of shit again.

When I posted the link to this letter of "Gunwalker Bill" Newell's late last night, I did not have time to comment or to solicit the comments of others I trust. Below are some of those reactions.

From a long-time observer of federal doings:

It comes across, for one, as having tossed the dice at the hearing; the winds afterwards not blowing favorable; and doing some backtracking. The impression left is that Newell knew he was being unsatisfactory to begin with.

But what's fatal is some of the other language. Specifically, the disrespectful language that Newell uses in characterizing the hearing itself. My take on that is that (1) the letter was written all or in part by Department of Justice attorneys, and (2) the disrespectful language was DELIBERATE, and intended to show disrespect to the Committee. One might say "nobody is that stupid," but the testimony of Roland Weich was combative, disrespectful and arrogant; and Weich is supposed to be the "public face" of the Department of Justice to the Committee, and represent the attitude of the Department of Justice. That attitude was not one of respect.

In my view, the letter destroys Newell.

From a thoughtful, long-serving ATF employee:

I think Mr. Newell is trying to mitigate his position in order to help his situation when he gets indicted.

His attorney, who tried to pressure acting Attache Canino to minimize his testimony against Newell during the Congressional Hearings, is now trying to mitigate after the fact.

The rest is just "woe is me" nonsense. He does not worry much about the family of Brian Terry does he? Nor does he worry about the fate of his subordinates. He throws everyone under the bus except himself. Signs of a real leader isn't it?

I learned a long time ago in the military from some smart old soldiers, "you cant go wrong by always taking care of your troops!" Newel never served of course.

Newell says in his letter that Darren Gil and Carlos Canino were being briefed weekly in reports, and that much is true. However, sources say that those are the reports that the Mexico City ATF analysts who reported to Gil used to notify him (in addition to Newell's own reports) of the increased seizures. However, sources say, none of those reports noted that firearms were knowingly and willingly being walked into Mexico. None. Newell's attorney (who surely wrote this reply) failed to note THAT small issue in his reply.

The sources say that the ATF in Mexico City knew there was an investigation (by whatever name) was going on where too many firearms were being traced backed to. This is why Gil and others raised their voices.

Said one, "Newell's attorney gives a little truth, but only where it helps his client. He fails to note that aspect in the reply. This was all noted in the hearings."

Some of the street agents over at CleanUpATF.org put it a little harsher. Said one:

Cleanupatf.org Webmaster and moderators, I am going to ask that you tolerate this post even if you feel it is too strongly worded. That is how passionate I am about what I am about to write and I really can't take the edge off this.

Who saw Bill Newell's written statment to Congress today? If you have not then here it is attached below. Be prepared to vomit.

Bill Newell you are a lying coward. This letter was written not to clarify anything you lied about but to attempt to avoid an indictment. You repeated your lame justifications and made excuses, the same thing you have done since the day you set foot in ATF. You lied to Congress and you are trying to cover your lies by calling the Whistleblowers, Gil and Canino liars. You are a 100% chickenshit.

You are a whiny little bitch to actually compose a letter to Congress after you lied to their faces and blame your lies the the "pressure" you feel and that this is "unlike anything you have ever experienced". You are pathetic to say that this experience has taken a toll on your health and family.

What about the toll on Brian Terry's family? What about the toll's on the hundreds of dead Mexican citizens and their families? All you ever have or ever will care about is you. You are one self-centered m_ _ _ _ _ rf _ _ _ _ r.

Here is where I am going to get off and probably be deleted. My friend is Jay Dobyns. Newell you are quite possibly the biggest hypocritical pussy ever in ATF to make the statements that you made in your letter knowing what you did to him and his family. You helped your boys Gillett and Higman go above and beyond to try and frame him as an arsonsist and attempted murder. You turned your back just like you did in Fast and Furious. I don't have the vocabulary to state what a double-standard POS you are. You think Dobyns felt pressure living under the allegation that he tried to murder his family for the last three years? How about the toll on his family have to hear that their husband and father intended to burn their house down on them and murder them? Then you lied under oath in that case too.

Don't bother to apologize. Whatever it is that happens to you, it is not evil enough to balance what you have done. Rot in hell.

Dave Workman: AZ congressman, sheriff at F&F panel Monday; Newell 'supplements' statement.

Been wondering when some local Arizona meetings like this might be happening.

Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu will reportedly appear Monday evening in Tucson at a public meeting to discuss Operation Fast and Furious, the botched Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gun trafficking scheme that has been linked to some 200 slayings in Mexico and the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

The gathering, at Canyon Del Oro High School, runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Landis Aden with the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association, tipped this column about the gathering, but it is not an ASRPA function.

Last call for Chicago-area Threepers.

If you want to get together at the Gun Rights Policy Conference this weekend, please drop me an email, or see me there on Saturday morning.

Pigs must be flying and there must be ice water in Hell, at least temporarily: CNN covers Gunwalker.

Link.

Senator Harkin advertises for more thuggery.

Glad to see the other side understands their own dialectic as well as we do. Next thing you know, he'll be calling for SEIU types to break the windows of local GOP party headquarters. ;-)

Or, more likely, target Tea Party members' homes while their kids are inside alone.

When is an SKS not an SKS? When the FBI needs it to be an AK for the cover-up of a murder.

This is a picture of a standard AK47 with thirty round magazine.

One thing that every gunnie knows is that reporters, as a general rule, do not know shit from shinola when it comes to firearms. This being the case, they can be sold just about any bill of goods by hoplophobes or scheming "law enforcement" types with an agenda.

Thus it is with FOX's assigned DOJ flack, Mike Levine. Witness this statement in Levine's latest:

ATF Official Admits His 'Fast and Furious' Testimony 'Lacked Clarity'.

In those newly disclosed recordings, the ATF noted that “all [she] can go by is what” the FBI told her. Pelletier, now with Mintz Levin in Washington, said he believes he knows the origin of the three-gun “misperception.” He said the FBI originally identified one of the two guns recovered as an SKS, made in China.

Now, there are a whole lot of things wrong with this statement, not the least of which is the repeated reference elsewhere, including Levine's own network's stories, by sources to the "third gun" that was "disappeared."

But let's just look at the statement, which claims that someone falsely identified one of the two F&F Kalashnikovs as an SKS.

Okay, SKS vs AK. Could an FBI agent working the border (or, more likely, several experienced FBI agents at the Terry murder scene) make a mistake confusing the two? Only if they were all deaf, dumb and blind. For the uninitiated:


This is a picture of an AK without a magazine alongside an SKS with the standard non-detachable 10 round magazine.

Even the firearm ignorant can note the obvious differences. Pistol grip versus no pistol grip, length, integral bayonet versus no bayonet, etc.

Even an SKS with an aftermarket 30-round magazine, or an SKS-D with a standard AK magazine well, looks considerably different than the AK.


This is a picture of three SKS's, including a sporterized version with a 30-round "duckbill" civilian aftermarket magazine and a pistol-grip.

Now look again, oh ye uninitiated, at the Kalashnikov versus the sporterized Simonov. Is it all that hard for you to tell the difference? Up close the differences are even more striking -- gas system, front sight, bolt handle, safety. Any gunnie or experienced cop can tell at a glance the difference between the two types, even with a sporterized stock with pistol grip and a thirty round magazine.

So what Gunwalker Bill's DOJ approved lawyer is saying is than a bunch of experienced FBI invesigators with another AK to compare with at the scene, mistook the other AK for an SKS. And thus, of course, the "third gun" reported by several folks, including the ATF employee who ran the traces is just a "misperception."

Uh, huh.


This is a picture of FOX's DOJ correspondent/producer Mike Levine.

Levine is a guy so apparently firearms-illiterate that he let a DOJ-approved lawyer who represents another guy who is an obvious perjurer -- both of whom having a huge incentive to deceive or even lie -- to buffalo him on such an plain bit of firearm silliness, and to let it into his story unchallenged.

Sheesh.

Attention Marines in the Central Alabama area.

Just received this email message forwarded by a good friend:

We have a Marine, Nam vet, who lives in Jemison and has essentially been sent home to die, cancer victim. This proud veteran has asked for visits from Marine veterans before he passes.

Can we get a group visit coordinated to go visit this veteran and grant his wish???

Please contact all Marine veterans that you know in the Post or District and lets get a visit set up to go visiting. Let me know how many we have and it is now scheduled for Wednesday evening, 9/28 at 7 PM.

How Semper Fi proud are you...answer this call!!!! Time is short - let's get it done ASAP...

Steve McAnally
The American Legion
Department of Alabama
Second Division Commander
205-755-5886 Home
al2div.cmdr@yahoo.com