The Minuteman » Tag » Legal System

Tag Archives: Legal System

Quote of the Day–Joe Huffman (06/19/2012)

By | | , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

What is extraordinary here is that Issa didn’t have Federal Marshalls rip his jacket and shirt off, tie him face down on the table, stuff a copy of the subpoena in his mouth, give him 30 lashes with a bull whip, then tell him there would a whipping every day at 9:00 AM until he fully complied or his flesh had been stripped off and his bones were polished clean.

Joe Huffman – Extraordinary Offer

June 19th, 2012

[Personally I think Joe’s response would have been way too kind.  Give me a bucket, a rat, and a blow torch.  Some assembly required.  If you don’t know how it works, don’t worry about it, it prevents you from knowing how mean, evil, and sadistic my mind can be towards those who willingly endanger my friends and family in the name of destroying my rights.*

Don’t worry Joe, it’s not cruel or unusual.  At the time the Bill of Rights was written lashing was still a standard punishment on the high seas.  In fact so was keelhauling which I think would also be a fantastic venture for Mr. Holder. –B]

*In my defense, I would feel bad for the rat.

The Streisand Effect Strikes Again…

By | | , , , ,
3 Comments

If you’re unaware of the Streisand Effect, please educate yourself before reading further.

This isn’t a full blown drama llama, but we’ll call it a baby drama llama*.

Drama Llama Baby

So for those unaware, some idiot lawyer went and demanded money from The Oatmeal because The Oatmeal pointed out in a blog post that his client was stealing copyrighted material.  The Oatmeal replied in classic Oatmeal fashion.  You can also read a legal synopsis and prediction from the opening shots here.

Then FunkyJunk’s lawyer, a supposed whiz with things related the internet acted surprised at the response.  Charles Carreon then continued to flap his wings faster and with such ferocity that a hummingbird would not know how to keep up.  Though as of last Friday I figured the weekend would swallow him whole and that would be the end of his 15 minutes of fame caused by his stupidity.

I was wrong.  It appears that attempting to shutdown a collection for two non-profits wasn’t enough.  He now intents to force them to waste funds in frivolous litigation.  There’s a term to describe individuals who do things such as that, I believe it begins with a D and ends with a K.

Seriously, in what world where you commit numerous public relation disasters at the beginning is it a good idea to file lawsuits against two non-profits?  It is not a non-profits job to filter who and who does not raise funds on their behalf.  If I say I’m raising money for Soldiers’ Angels, that is me telling you where I’m sending the funds, that is not an endorsement by the non-profit.

So Charles Carreon feels it’s a good idea to sue the American Cancer Society and the National Wildlife Federation and then wonders why the internet has reacted the way it has.  Well, he’s wondering because he’s a clueless moron that wouldn’t know how the internet actually worked if all it was is two cups with a string in-between.

If Mr. Carreon feels that people are dehumanizing him, maybe it’s because those people don’t feel he’s actually human.  I think he’s a giant troll who bullies people and organizations with frivolous litigation without thought for the effect it will have on his fellow man.  His only thoughts are focused on how he can get people to stop pointing out how he’s an idiot.

If he hadn’t done anything this whole incident would have faded into obscurity but instead he doubled down on stupid.  Heck even after the response from the The Oatmeal just shutting up would have worked in his favor in allowing it to quickly blow over.

So in closing, Charles Carreon, you sir are a giant STD encrusted dick.  You’re actions and frivolous threats at the beginning were bad enough.  Now though you have proved your dickishness to the world by attacking two charities, one who’s sole goal is to the betterment and health of your fellow man.  Yeah, you’re not human, you’re a big fat dick.  Thank you for playing.

No I will not take this down because legally this is acceptable under the first amendment much to your dismay and displeasure.  I have provided facts and evidence to support my position, you and your legal threats amount to you throwing a tantrum like a 4 year old in a supermarket.  Grow up and act your age you spoiled rotten brat.  Besides the way to make stuff like this not happen to you is actually quite simple.  Don’t be a dick!

*I got pictures of llamas over the weekend and I need to use them so they get into the wild.  Winking smile

Fast and Furious, Root Cause Analysis

By | | , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Currently Eric Holder is screaming that the cause of guns going into Mexico was because of a “lack of gun control.”  There’s one problem with that though, it is false.  Not only is that statement blatantly false but in light of the evidence, given Operation Fast and Furious, gun control is what allowed those guns to walk to Mexico.  While it may seem humorous and a joke, the fact is it’s true.

I have largely been silent on Fast and Furious for one major reason.  There are a lot of other people covering it better and more in-depth than I possibly could.

To start off for those who are familiar with the term, root cause analysis is something used in engineering to identify problems to come up with solutions that don’t just hide the problem.  Ultimately proper root cause analysis should trace the problem to a point where you can turn the issue on and off like a light switch.  Now we’re going to trace back through the events and find the point where we can turn this issue that would turn this problem on and off.

What was Fast and Furious?

Fast and Furious otherwise known as Operation Gunwalker, was an operation conducted by the ATF under the guise of busting Mexican drug cartels.  This was done by forcing FFLs to complete illegal firearms transactions, purchasing firearms and handing them over to known criminals, and otherwise circumventing current law for criminals.

The ATF didn’t just allow guns to flow into the hands of criminals, but actively encouraged the practice. They purposely cleared transactions that were flagged. They performed the straw purchases themselves, delivering the weapons to known criminals. They instructed dealers to go ahead with transactions the dealers could tell were not “honest”.

Often when agents had followed the firearms they were told by their superiors to let the recipients go and not to follow them.  All of these actions violated existing law, yet the cause, as purported by Eric Holder, was a lack of gun control.

How did gun control cause Fast and Furious though?

The most direct route is the fact that this whole program was done with the mind of expanding gun control.  New gun control legislation and powers were the motivator behind the program.  Even as the program crashes and burns, pushes for new legislation based of the inflated numbers of Fast and Furious keep appearing.  The results of the program were used to force the long arms registry and to bolster support for additional funding for the ATF.

However the actions of the ATF have common threads with different agencies.  It is all a quest for money and power.  So we have to look back further to where the ATF got the root of its power and what allowed them to use this power to try to gain more.

The ATF is responsible for overseeing FFLs and ensuring adherence to existing firearms laws.  The can put a business that works in firearms under faster than any other.  The agency can halt a FFLs license during an investigation which can easily put them out of business.  So when the ATF asks a FFL to do something illegal, there ATF has all the leverage to make the dealer comply.  The only other option is for the FFL to go out of business under the weight of the ATF.

The ATF gained this power and latitude under the Gun Control Act of 1968.  Unsurprisingly allegations of abuse led to the Firearm Owners Protection Act to attempt to rein in the ATF.  The FOPA also stated different registry’s were prohibited from being enacted or run by the ATF, one of which they are attempting in the wake of Fast and Furious.

The depth of the corruption within the ATF and its drive to seek power through runs even deeper back to the National Firearms Act of 1934.  This provided the ATF, which was under the department of the Treasury at the time, the ability to enforce the newly created firearms laws.  This law laid the foundation for what would become the power-hungry space the ATF occupies today.

Both the GCA 1968 and the NFA 1934 are both pieces of legislation made in the effort to regulate firearms and limit their ownership.  The ATF blatantly violated existing laws during Operation Fast and Furious and went through considerable effort to arm and traffic firearms to prohibited persons.  All the while the ATF was clamoring for more gun control.  However many law-abiding citizens were left jumping through the hoops and difficulties of the existing maze of firearms legislation despite the appearance of lax laws created by the ATF.

Conclusion, Gun Control is the root cause

The ATF completely disregarded existing laws and regulations in conducting operation gun walker.  Many of those coerced into participating were in a situation that allowed the ATF leverage over them because of existing gun control legislation.  The ATF during the operation was petitioning congress for more gun control legislation, which it would be responsible for enforcement.

The ATF was also petitioning congress for additional funding for two reasons.  The first was a claim of a lack of resources to enforce existing law, which was false since they were expending resources to actually circumvent it.  The second was that it would need additional funding for enforcement of the expanded programs.

The root cause of Fast and Furious is gun control itself.  Existing gun control legislation provided the ATF with leverage over FFLs to coerce them into transactions they knew to be criminal.  Gun control provided the ATF with the resources and power to organize and conduct the operation.  Lastly, gun control was the root cause of the operation itself.  The operation was conducted in an effort to create a crisis that would warrant the further restriction of firearms.  This restriction would either be that of ownership by law-abiding citizens, or that in preventing new purchase by a law-abiding citizen.

Without the GCA of 1968 the ATF would not have had the leverage over a FFL to coerce them into proceeding with an illegal sale.  Without the NFA of 1934 the ATF would have never been the power-hungry beast it is today.

To say that a lack of gun control allowed Operation Fast and Furious is like saying a lack of prohibition let the DEA allow drugs to be smuggled across the border.  Oh wait, bad analogy, the DEA took part in Fast and Furious too.

If a lack of gun control allowed Operation Fast and Furious then violating the law to commit a treasonous act of war against a friendly neighbor is lacking in laws as well.