Tuesday, August 04, 2015

FBI Alert?

COLORADO, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, WYOMING (U//FOUO) FBI Alert: Middle-Eastern Males Approaching Family Members of US Military Personnel [More]
Public Intelligence has a good reputation for not going off half-cocked and spreading spurious or unvetted stuff. Still, it pays to be cautious, for instance, documents can be forged and the best of us can be fallible, so when the alert advised "Comments and queries may be addressed to the DENVER Division at 303-629-7171," I took 'em up on it.

The guy at the switchboard put me through to their media liaison, a special agent, actually, and her voice message advised if I wanted a timely answer, to send an email.

Fair enough. I prefer things documented anyway, so I wrote:
I am a member of the news media and a field editor for GUNS Magazine. I am attempting to determine the authenticity of the SIR presented at the Public Intelligence website: https://publicintelligence.net/fbi-middle-eastern-males/ As this is already making the rounds on the internet, and evidently on the verge of gaining wider notice, the FOUO notice no longer seems much of a deterrent. Can you confirm if it is authentic?
And received back:
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any information on the authenticity or contents of the document you sent. Our standard practice is to neither confirm nor deny investigations or comment on bulletins provided to law enforcement partners. Thank you,
Reading between the lines...

If anybody knows anyone who received this alert in an LE capacity and I can validate that, tell them I offer the same source protection guarantees the Fast and Furious guys came to trust me 'n Mike over -- not that I'm holding my breath, but I gotta try.

Waco Biker Story Brings Out Misconceptions About Oath Keepers

Still, this is a “lemonade out of lemons” opportunity to educate a wider gun owner readership of the mission of Oath Keepers, as well as to provide real life examples of Oath Keepers making real contributions to advance freedom. [More]
I guess being out there doing something is a pretty good way to become a target.

Media Challenges Waco Twin Peaks Gag Order As Questions About DA and Judge Emerge

That’s not the only questionable conduct on the part of both the court and the DA. For starters, again per NBC 5, Judge Johnson and prosecutor Abel Reyna, who requested the granted gag order, have enjoyed a longstanding personal and professional relationship. They’re former law partners, and Reyna contributed the maximum amount allowed by state law to the judge’s political campaign. [More]
My latest TTAG offering notes a whole lotta coverin' up goin' on...

I'm going to be trying to pull some threads on this one.

We're the Only Ones Offering Parting Shots Enough

[A]n off-duty state trooper fired three shots from his personal gun as three teens fled his street in a car early Sunday morning... [More]
You know, just like you and I could do, if WE lived in New Jersey. And had a badge.

That's a pretty nice house and neighborhood for a trooper's salary. Come to think of it, we know the kids' names and we even know the name of his neighbor from two doors down... I guess the reporter has his reasons for keeping the name of the guy squeezing off rounds in the cul-de-sac at 2 a.m. a secret...

Noting the town this happened in, I'm wondering if he yelled "THIS IS SPARTA!" while he fired...

[Via Harvey]

We're the Only Ones with Sporting Purposes Enough

The men came forward in March with the allegations that four deputies arranged and gambled on fights between Palikiko-Garcia and Harris at County Jail No. 4, located at the Hall of Justice. [More]
WarOnGuns has uncovered footage of captors placing bets over prisoner objections.

[Via Florida Guy]   

We're the Only Ones Botching Stings Enough

The FBI said they believe that Lumpkin bought the weapons for the felons, knowing that, under law, they were unable to buy firearms due to their felony convictions. [More]
Noting the sterling examples set by our nation's law enforcement leadership and their "Authorized Journalist" PR teams, I prefer to think of this as a failed tracking attempt.

[Via Sweet Baboo]

Mass Shooting Study

"No matter how you cut it, there's no epidemic," he says. "This report should calm the fears that many people have that these numbers are out of control." [More]
The Congressional Research Service report also notes:
[Q]uestions are often raised by the media, gun control advocates, and gun rights defenders, but seldom answered definitively and officially. Among those questions ... Did the shootings occur in designated “gun free zones”?
If they're not answered "officially," why do you suppose that is?

[Via Richard Feldman]

Captain's Log

We're the Only Ones Liable Enough

Unless it comes out of their pockets, the ones who are liable are the ones paying the bills. [More]

[Via William T]

Citizen Subarmament Redux

Alan Korwin follows up in The Daily Caller to his Townhall piece.

Because Nothing Says "Liberty" Like Tyranny!

Especially in "progressive" strongholds, where every day is Opposite Day! [More]

[Via William T]

The Children's Crusade

The War on Boys continues. Time for some smuggling... [More]

I recall soon after I wrote this, Disneyland suddenly cleared its shelves, with no reported penalties assessed.

[Via Florida Guy]   

Flying Tigers Grounded

Along with lions, rhinos, gazelles... [More]

Does this mean all meals will now be vegan?

I get it -- it's a corporate decision and it's their airline, plus it seems a perfect market opportunity for someone positioned to do charters for the well-heeled that can afford this kind of stuff in the first place. That said, I question how many travelers would turn their noses up at American, Delta and United if they had not made this ridiculous "progressive" gesture. Especially if they had to catch a flight, and even more especially if the seat price was right...

Hey, as long as the airlines will still transport "tissue"...

[Via Florida Guy]   

I See the Bacon

But where's the "machine gun"? [More]

Pretty pathetic, when Rachel Maddow is the one pointing that out...

It kind of spoils the whole in-your-face, antis! humor thing when what you're doing comes off like shallowness and pandering, and it certainly doesn't help when you play right into Josh Sugarmann's hands:
The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.

Trending Now

1. GOP advantage narrows... 2. Latinos, Asians vote Democrat. [More]
And that's from 2012, before that "pathway to citizenship" was expanded by adding a diamond lane to accommodate groups, especially the ones that didn't pay a toll...

Good thing for us that how people vote has no effect on that "single issue."

Oh look: The shape of things to come!

"Keeping ArmS" Plural is OK, You Just Can't "Stockpile" 'em

Walter Eugene Litteral, 50, Christopher James Barker, 41, and Christopher Todd Campbell, 30, are accused of stockpiling guns and ammunition...[More]
Say apologists for the monopoly of violence that's always ordering tons of guns for the alphabet agency du jour...

Looks like they picked themselves some low hanging fruit to bolster the narrative that homegrowners represent a scarier collective boogeyman than their imported headcutters...

Anyway, about that accusation: Anybody know what "law" prohibits that, and how anyone with a nice collection is not vulnerable?

There's plenty more to this story I'm sure we'll be finding out, including who these guys are, what they're really like, and how it is they were singled out for special attention.  We've also seen in the past all kinds of accusations that didn't generate anywhere near the bang for the buck initial proclamations of triumph tried to lead us to believe, with first impressions being the lasting ones.