BATFU/DoJ Reneged on Deal to Stifle Red's

Yesterday I mentioned:

I've been sitting on some facts for a few days at the request of Ryan Horsley. BATFU had threatened him that he needed to cease all blogging and keep their agents and inspectors free from being photographed or observed, or they would go to the judge and file a complaint of harassment. Ryan was in a dilemma--he has been single-handedly bearing the burden of his defense against a fe(de)ral government with practically unlimited resources--yet if he continued to allow his
persecutors to operate in the dark, that is where they would kill Red's.

Here, as Paul Harvey says, is the rest of the story:

Ryan had been agonizing over this--on the one hand, he wanted to fight for what was right, and keep people informed of what was happening. On the other, the threat of a complaint like the one that was filed would mean a new round of legal expenditures that could break the bank. His legal counsel worked behind the scenes and received assurances from the US Attorney that the complaint would not be filed if Ryan simply did what all clients are advised to do: keep quiet and rely on non-involved observers to do the reporting.

Here's what the government demanded in order to not go to the judge:

No more video recordings of the ATF
No more audio recordings of the ATF
No more pictures of the ATF
No more information being posted about the inspectors
No more publicity
No more blogging
No more letting supporters know when the audits/investigations are being conducted
No allowing supporters to come in contact with the ATF (ie, speak with, video tape, photograph, etc.)

This is the agreement Ryan thought had been negotiated. This is what our government, instituted among men to secure the blessings of liberty, now demands of its citizens. Except US Attorney Deborah Ferguson and her BATFU "clients" reneged on their promise, and filed anyway after Ryan had reluctantly begun holding up his end of the deal and stopped posting.

WorldNetDaily Covers Red's Blog Controversy

...and mentions WarOnGuns. I had to laugh when they quoted me on the acronym "BATFU."

That aside, this is exactly the kind of response we need--focus attention and light on the persecution agenda--it's the only chance Red's has to keep from being murdered in the dark.

BREAKING NEWS: WAYNE FINCHER IMPRISONED

"We Cried all the Way to Prison"

From his daughter, Connie Fields:

Just to let you know that we got dad to prison on time. I never knew how hard something like this could be. We left at 3:00 a.m. this morning and we told stories, took pictures, ate breakfast and had a good time. We went for lunch and it started getting harder because you knew what was coming next. We cried all the way to the prison. It is not right to take a man like my dad to prison. You cannot imagine how we felt at that moment when we had to turn him over and know that he couldn't come back home with us. We all hugged him several times then watched as they took him away. He kept waving at us till they shut they door. He his in the Minimum Security at Forrest City, Arkansas which is very good. It may be a week or so before we hear from him. Will let you know as soon as we do.

Please remember him and us in your prayers. Thanks for all the prayers and all the help everyone has giving. Thank you from the family of HollisWayne Fincher.

I'll have more on this later. For right now, there is a defense fund set up for his appeal. As WarOnGuns regulars know, I never ask for any contributions for myself, and never ask anyone to contribute to any cause I don't also pony up for. Here's Connie's follow-up email:

As you know or may not know we have new lawyers that are doing the appeal. They have offered they services for PRO BONO. The only thing is that we have to pay for traveling fees and filing fees transcript fees etc.

We have set up an account at Arvest Banks that you can deposit money into the account. If you electronic deposit or wire money the account the information is routing number 082900872 account number is 0037421461. If you deposit at the Arvest bank the account is under Connie Fields H.W. Fincher Fund Account. Account Number 0037421461.

If you want to send money by mail send to Connie Fields H.W.FINCHER FUND ACCOUNT P.O. BOX 215 ELKINS ARKANSAS 72727.

This Money is for the attorneys. The main attorney is from Montana, his name is Quentin Rhoades and the other attorney's name is Stewart Rhodes and he is from Las Vegas, Nevada. These lawyers we feel are very qualified to handle this case. I know that people have given to this cause before and we thank you but, now we need your help again. This appeal is going to cost approximately $5000.00 just to go to St. Louis, if this goes to the Supreme court approximately another $10,000.00. Please help any way you can to keep your Second Amendment Rights and FREE WAYNE. Thank You very much from the family of Hollis Wayne Fincher.

I can't speak for anyone but myself. My check is going out in this afternoon's mail.

This Day in History: July 15

July 25, 1775...Maryland issues currency depicting George III trampling Magna Carta

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are...

So--Area Supervisor Linda Young--now that we see your pals lurking, why not step out of the shadows and answer a few questions from your real Masters? As much as that concept may make you laugh--for now.

Ryan says the person taking pictures "was a 70 year old man in a Hawaiian shirt who is balding (Sorry, Al) and has a broken foot. Yet 3 inspectors felt that they were in danger. I did not tell him to come in or take pictures. Although that is not illegal."

You couldn't just go up to him and talk to him if you were concerned, and find out for yourself that he was no threat? Or is it that you just won't tolerate the rabble getting uppity? You had to go and make a federal case out of it? Of course you did.

What is it about We the People that fills you with such fear? Possibly the gnawing, inescapable knowledge that you deserve to feel guilt for what you do to sovereign American citizens, and that a decent person could not so persecute another human being?

Is that what makes you lash out in rage at someone who will not bend his knee and present his neck--just because you, Area Supervisor Linda Young, and you, DIO Richard Van Loan, demand it?

Perhaps some day "following orders" will be as useless a legal defense here as it was at Nuremberg. Here's hoping the good people of this Republic will hasten the day when your fury will be impotent, and those who reject and scorn and laugh at you can do so without fear of "official" retribution. Here's hoping for the day when it will be your heart that races, your palms that get clammy, your stomach that churns, when official auditors show up to reconstruct your activities.

In the mean time, enjoy the lurking. Stick around and check out some other posts.

We're on to you here, and more are catching on every day.

BREAKING NEWS: BATFU ACCUSES RED'S OF "HARASSMENT AND INTIMIDATION"

I've been sitting on some facts for a few days at the request of Ryan Horsley. BATFU had threatened him that he needed to cease all blogging and keep their agents and inspectors free from being photographed or observed, or they would go to the judge and file a complaint of harassment. Ryan was in a dilemma--he has been single-handedly bearing the burden of his defense against a fe(de)ral government with practically unlimited resources--yet if he continued to allow his persecutors to operate in the dark, that is where they would kill Red's.

The new complaint is calculated to be a death blow to Red's--both financially with additional legal expenses they cannot afford, and by giving the judge an excuse to side with thugs portraying themselves as victims.

Blogger doesn't give me the capability to present .pdf files, so I have converted the documents sent to the judge into jpegs:

"Exhibit A" is a print out of this entry from Red's Blog.

Note assumptions in the accusation--that BATFU now has authority to decide who is an "authorized journalist," that providing oversight of government activities and the identities of those responsible for abuse has "no legitimate purpose but to intimidate and harass," that the distinction between an inspector and an agent is not automatically understood by those outside the agency, and that the only opinion expressed that is cited for judicial cognizance comes from an anonymous comment poster--not from Ryan Horsley. In fact, there is no evidence that the comment in question was not made by a BATFU agent (oh, sorry, "inspector"?), employee, snitch or agent provocateur.

Note that the offending comment has been removed by Ryan. It said this:



This is clearly something Ryan had no control over, makes no specific threat, plus it expresses an opinion that, as much as they don't want to admit it, reflects a sentiment of the agency's creation. But presenting this is designed to prejudice the judge. That said, I too have deleted comments from this blog that I thought crossed a line that would erode the post's credibility or I simply thought was inappropriate.

I repeat my call for a rapid response team of "minuteman" volunteers to make themselves available via a phone tree to go to gun stores being audited, and audit/document/photograph the auditors. Don't let creatures of the shadows hide there--expose them to the light and make them live there--or cravenly slink back under the baseboards where they belong. You can also help by spreading the link to this post to fellow gun owners and letting them know what is going on. BATFU is relying on people remaining uninformed and apathetic.

A Missed Bulls-Eye, Indeed

In a YouTube video, a Michigan man brandished an automatic rifle, saying “This is my baby. Are you going to protect my baby?”

Here's the video in question:



"Authorized journalist" Steve Terrell did get one thing right--not about his panty-wringing hysterics, or his ignorance (or intentional deception) by referring to "an automatic rifle," but in his observation that Gov. Richardson missed a great opportunity.

He should have chastised the questioner for performing an agenda-driven stunt. He should have demanded the guy's background be looked into, to see if he was really a gun rights advocate or a mole from the other side trying to make gun owners look like lunatics. He should have also chastised CNN for allowing a question designed to push so many buttons through without also allowing for a rational question about the rights and responsibilities of gun ownership to be made--it's not like the network didn't sift through all submissions to pick and reject based on their own subjective criteria.

And what the hell does "purchased under the 1994 gun ban" mean? That was a restricting, not an authorizing edict.

Anybody from Michigan hunting, shooting or gun rights communities know this Jered Townsend character? If he is one of "ours," tell him he came off like a moron and did us immeasurable public relations harm. If, as I suspect, he's a plant with an agenda, we should know that, too.

Gee, I wonder if CNN will do the follow-up to find out? Holding your breath, anyone?

And isn't it pathetic that potential leaders of our Republic are little more than contestants in a combination of "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" and "America's Funniest Home Videos"?

Apportioning the Blame

Hip-hop stars Lil' Wayne and Ja Rule have been arrested on separate gun possession charges in New York.

And they seem like such nice young men. If this doesn't prove all the problems in "the community" are the the fault of NRA and suburban gun shops, nothing will.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Winnipeggers looking for an answer to the gun violence that has ripped through the city in the past two weeks will likely turn to the city, provincial and federal governments, all of whom say they are already well aware of the problem and are doing their best to solve it.

Sometimes, "their best" isn't good enough. The reason the "gun-crime fix [is] elusive" is because they're looking for it everywhere but where the solution lies--within a responsible and capable armed citizenry. Within themselves, once they peel away the layers of prejudice, cowardice and excuse-making.

BATFU Making Presence Known on Blogs

One supporter noted that he thought that they would be a little more discreet about spending so much time on websites. The point is not to be covert, it is to let you know that they are watching. This is an attempt to "mark their territory".

I knew some people who had a cat that kept spraying the furniture. I don't recall if they had it neutered or put down, but they finally did something that left them free of the mess and the stench.

[More about BATFU and Red's Trading Post from WarOnGuns]

Nice Quote, Einstein

Mindful Musings has found one.

He was speaking about Prohibition, but of course the same observations hold true not just for alcohol...

This Day in History: July 24

July 24. 1775

The Virginia Convention passes a resolution to cease the export of flour, wheat, and other provisions from the colony to any country.

We're the Only Ones Blacked Out Enough

Two days before a key City Council vote on the way claims of Chicago Police misconduct are investigated, the Daley administration quietly provided aldermen Tuesday with a controversial list of 662 officers with 10 or more complaints against them over the past five years.

But there was a catch: the names on the list -- which the administration has been fighting in federal court to keep secret -- were blacked out.

And in related news, blizzards and snowdrifts have closed down the gates of hell, as I find myself on the same side as Jesse Jackson and "Snuffy" Pfleger.

[More fron "The Only Ones" Files]

Fitty Has a Fit

Hip Hop phenomenon 50 Cent filed a $1 million Manhattan lawsuit yesterday against an Internet advertiser who created a “Shoot the Rapper” pop-up ad featuring his image.

And one thing you don't want to do is push Fitty:

'Cause I can't control my temper, I'm fitting to catch a felony
Pistol in hand homie, I'm down to get it popping
Once I squeeze the first shot
No I aint stopping till my clip is empty

Last Chance to Surrender

Monday is your last day to turn in weapons, no questions asked, for cash in Kalamazoo.

And if you act now, we'll double the amount of liberty we take from you at no extra cost!

We're the Only Ones Tempted Enough

The disappearance of 5,000 guns from police and military armouries in Papua New Guinea has added a dangerous element to crime in the country...

From time to time, the police offer amnesties to try to get weapons off the streets...

But if any factory-made weapons show up, such as an M16 for example, some of the lowly-paid police officers are tempted to make a quick profit...

As a result, says Alpers, thousands of weapons stored by the police and military have found their way into the hands of tribal fighters – and criminals...

So what's the touted remedy?

Why "gun control," of course.

[More from "The Only Ones" Files]

This Day in History: July 23

July 23. 1775

Noting the lack of uniforms for the Continental Army, Washington orders commissioned officers to wear cockades in their hats: pink or red for field rank, yellow or buff for captains, and green for subalterns. Sergeants are identified by a strip of red cloth on their right shoulder.

We're the Only Ones Blanking Out Enough

The exercise called for police to carry special training shotguns that would only fire blank rounds. But during the training, one of the weapons malfunctioned, and one of the officers went outside to a police car to retrieve a standard-issue shotgun, Ehrbar said.

The officer loaded that shotgun with what he thought were blanks, but were later discovered to be birdshot, which had somehow been placed in the box containing the blank rounds, Ehrbar said.

And naturally, they're "not anticipating any charges" against the knucklehead who negligently wounded not one, not two, but three fellow "Only Ones."

The only thing missing from this farce is the pie fight at the end. That and putting Curly's head in a vise.

The Forrest for the Trees...

A rally called "Rise Up To Stop Gun Violence" was held in Hartford Saturday.

The event was hosted by the Corey Forrest Special Life and Scholarship Foundation...

Hmmm...

It All Depends on the Meaning of the Word "Use"

A British Columbia man convicted of using a gun during a home invasion, even though the gun was actually in his car during the crime, has lost his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

I can see getting Steele on a threat charge. But "use"?

It's hard to feel any sympathy for the lowlife who lost his appeal, but the reasoning applied by Justice Fish (and if that doesn't sound like the title of an "Adult Swim" cartoon about a team of super groupers, nothing does) really stretches credibility--and takes the law in a dangerous direction for someone who may say they have a gun when in a prohibited area to protect themselves.