Word is circulating that a number of ATF supervisors, from field up to high HQ levels, Assistant Directors and such, are being effectively suspended (effectively, but without using that term) while higher powers look into their competence and allegations of abuse and/or fraud. The Inspector General is said to be taking a role, and some of those involved in matters like Red's Trading Post are under the microscope.
Good. Somebody's figuring out that over-the-top arrogance results in a spotlight, and as we've noted before on occasion, the floorboard dwellers hate that. Let's keep it shining and focused, at each and every opportunity. To paraphrase
Rhett Butler, they need to be illuminated, and often, and by someone who knows how.
There's a lot of good agents out there, who're perfectly reasonable toward firearm owners and honest in their work.
Sorry,
Mr. Hardy. I've always held you in high regard, and still do, but that's a point I will not cede. The very existence of the agency is an affront to the Bill of Rights. One can not be part of the institution and claim fidelity to the vision of the Founders. It just can't be done.
4 comments:
You are correct, David. And though Mr. Hardy is an intelligent principled man I too believe him wrong.
I do believe he is wrong for the same reason we ridicule anti-rights activists. On this particular issue he is projecting. In his case, he is projecting his character and integrity to others. Others who haven't demonstrated either. In his defense it it difficult for a good man to see only evil in other men. Hence, he assumes that most will be like him.
Most men may be, but those aren't the men who join organizations whose sole purpose is to enslave or incarcerate other men simply for exercising their birthright.
We are not talking about honorable men who find themselves badly led. The honorable men would have already quit when they discovered the agenda. Or never joined if they had any grounding in ethics, morality, liberty or constitutionality.
In this, Mr. Hardy is completely wrong. His error, though, is the more the result of his projection of his good qualities to those who have too few, rather than to any desire to provide support for the insupportable.
I'll second SA. No _honorable_ person does, has, or ever could, work for the firearms division of the BATFU. Working there or assisting those working there is an automatic disqualification for "honorable". Thinking it possible does not make you a "bad" person, but it does mean you are horribly wrong -- and that you need to reevaluate you principles and work out the result of following them.
I'm sure there are "nice guys" in the mafia, too, but it doesn't excuse their career choice: evil is evil.
Will they conclude after a fair and thorough investigation of themselves that they have done nothing wrong, ever, all the way up to acting director Sullivan? It's a Fed tradition.
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