MISCONCEPTIONS
Posted on 06/21/2012 2:45:15 PM PDT by NoLibZone
The Merida Initiative is the, and was the, basis for the 2008 HR-6028 Bill which specifically funded "Project Gunrunner."
Darrell Issa pretends he has never heard of Project Gunrunner, yet in 2008 he specifically voted to fund Project Gunrunner.
Apparently, there is more than just a huge connection between Merida Initiative and Project Gunrunner whereby Project Gunrunner funding, per HR-6028, is directly enveloped into the Merida Initiative.
In October 2007, President Bush and President announced the Mérida Initiative, is a Billions of dollar aid package to support Mexico's President Calderón's war on drugs by, among other things, sending military grade weapons and helicopters to Mexico. Project Gunrunner was Legislated into the Merida Initiative through HR-6028 in 2008. After ample Congressional debate on conditionality and appropriations, the US Congress approved the initiative in HR-6028 without any strings attached.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/21/1101851/-2008-Darrell-Issa-Voted-YES-to-Fund-Project-Gunrunner-Merida-Initiative
I read the appropriate sections (most of the bill), and there’s nothing in there comparable to what Gunwalker/F&F ultimately became. Obama and crew took a program that was meant to help the state of Mexico fight the cartels and drug trafficing, and ramped it up to include allowing guns to illegally move into Mexico in order to buttress their unproven claims that 90% of them come from the US. This way, they could then (in their mind) justify more stringent gun control legislation. They committed a crime.
So, how many thousands of weapons were delivered to the Cartel while Bush was in the White House?
Holder and Obama are making the accusations, let them turn over the paperwork and prove it. They’ve painted themselves into a corner and don’t even have a window.
If there was supporting evidence that this was started under Bush Holder would have ran something akin to the Berlin Airlift getting documents to congress.
Bingo!
EXERPT FROM POST #22:
Rediscovered information on Project Gunrunner leading to misconceptions
David Codrea
Gun Rights Examiner
..”Mike,” I wrote to colleague Mike Vanderboegh, people are going ape with the Ogden video and the $10M for Gunrunner—they don’t understand that Gunrunner was not kept secret and was actually publicized, is not synonymous with F&F, and that authorizing Gunrunner is not the same as authorizing GunWALKER—as a result, a lot of hysterical and unfounded conclusions are being jumped to that will muddy the waters and discredit people making those arguments—and by default, the real arguments—I don’t know if this started because well-meaning people who don’t understand the details think they’ve found something and are trying to be helpful, but the way this is going viral it almost seems like somebody knew which buttons to push to get the gun crowd screaming after something that will be used to ridicule the entire effort as tinfoil ignorance. I think you and I need to address this in some sort of statement.
“I made a stab at it, I continued, “but held off on posting to see what you had to say.”
We have to fight this fight and not allow evil to gather and regroup.
Here we go. No defense for what Justice and ATF did, so go after Issa. It’s hard to argue with unprincipled people. If this crap makes them feel good about themselves, fine, but just ignore them.
My disgust with these unprincipled leftist weasels is complete.
PGW and Merida were bad decisions...but not on the scope of Fast n Furious
Clearly, Obama is actively involved in Fast n Furious, and has made the decisions to do it. That is Statement of Fact. When he removes the Executive Priviledge on the documents, then he can prove me wrong
Always remember, that, the best policy towards Mexico is a sealed border and the deportation of all its illegals from the US. Anything else is trouble
PGW and Merida were bad decisions...but not on the scope of Fast n Furious
Clearly, Obama is actively involved in Fast n Furious, and has made the decisions to do it. That is Statement of Fact. When he removes the Executive Priviledge on the documents, then he can prove me wrong
Always remember, that, the best policy towards Mexico is a sealed border and the deportation of all its illegals from the US. Anything else is trouble
Human Events’ article:
“FALN, Holder, and Obama: The Price Paid by One ‘Ordinary American’
As an “ordinary American,” I sincerely question whether Barack Obama has the judgment to be president. His lack of judgment in choosing Eric Holder as a top adviser on his campaign — the man partly responsible for pardoning terrorists who proudly claimed responsibility for my father’s murder — serves as primary evidence supporting that judgment.
Holder now leads Obama’s team selecting his running mate for vice president, perhaps Obama’s most important decision during the campaign. Mr. Holder, formerly the No. 2 official in former President Bill Clinton’s Justice Department, often is mentioned as a potential attorney general in an Obama administration. This is the same man who was a driving force behind President Clinton’s pardons of members of the notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group, the Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN).
The FALN was one of the most prolific terrorist organizations ever to wage war against the American people. They proudly claimed responsibility for over 130 bombings and incendiary attacks in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983, killing six and wounding scores.
Among these vicious, cold-blooded attacks was the Jan. 24, 1975, lunchtime bombing at New York City’s historic Fraunces Tavern. Four innocent men were murdered that day, and one of them was my 33-year-old father, Frank Connor. My father had been very excited to get home from work that night to celebrate my brother’s and my recent 11th and 9th birthdays with his young family. Instead, after my father’s funeral, mourners shared a dinner in our home that was meant for our birthday celebration.
After members of the FALN were arrested, they threatened Judge Thomas McMillen’s life during their Chicago trial. Carmen Valentine told the judge, “You are lucky that we cannot take you right now,” and called the judge a terrorist. Dylcia Pagan warned the courtroom: “All of you, I would advise you to watch your backs.” And Ida Rodriguez told the judge, “You say we have no remorse. You’re right. … Your jails and your long sentences will not frighten us.” These terrorists convinced McMillen that they would continue being terrorists “as long as you live. If there was a death penalty, I’d impose the penalty on you without hesitation.”
Eight of these FALN terrorists later would receive pardons from President Clinton, even though they remained unrepentant. Indeed, after 18 years in prison, Ricardo Jimenez explained to Tim Russert on Meet the Press, just days after his release, that people died at Fraunces Tavern because “measures were not taken that were necessary by the people who owned those establishments.” As I watched this surreal interview I thought, “My father was eating lunch in a crowded restaurant in New York City. What precautions should the owners have taken?”
Former assistant U.S. Attorney and FALN prosecutor Deborah Devaney wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 7, 1999: “I know the chilling evidence that convicted the petitioners… . [T]he White House spun the tale that Mr. Clinton was freeing only those who had harmed no one…I would like the Connor family to know that the American justice system did not fail them, the President did.”
How does this outrageous and tragic story reflect on Barack Obama’s judgment?
Holder played a central role in freeing these terrorists. As the deputy attorney general, he was responsible for signing off on all clemency matters forwarded to the President, and in this case he recommended that clemency be granted — despite vehement opposition from the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, and his own Justice Department.
In a September 1999 letter to House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, FBI Director Louis Freeh explained that “the FBI has consistently advised the DOJ in writing that the FBI was opposed to any such pardon and or commutation of sentences for any of these individuals.” Freeh said clemency “would likely return committed, experienced, sophisticated and hardened terrorists to the clandestine movement.” Mr. Freeh emphasized “the FBI was unequivocally opposed to the release of these terrorists under any circumstances and had so advised the DOJ.” Moreover, in a letter to me dated Jan. 6, 1998, (more than a year before the pardons) a senior official from Holder’s own Justice Department expressly referred to the FALN members as “terrorists.”
Yet, according to Edward Lewine of the New York Daily News, despite this opposition, “Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department official most involved with this issue, reportedly supported clemency.” Indeed, rather than consult with attack victims and their families, Mr. Holder instead met privately with members of Congress and recommended what the FALN members should do to facilitate a grant of presidential clemency.
Was Holder the obedient DAG providing the Clintons’ with justification for politically craven pardons? Or did Holder actually believe in unleashing unrepentant, communist terrorists on the public? Either way, should this man influence a potential VP selection or one day be the nation’s top law enforcement officer? Absolutely not.
The Connor family was shattered on Jan. 24, 1975. Eventually, some healing began. While not a day goes by without us thinking of him, my mom got remarried to a good man. My brother and I graduated college and established families of our own. Regrettably, Frank Connor would never get to hug his four beautiful grandchildren.
But in August 1999, the Clinton administration’s politically motivated pardons revived the terrible pain of our father’s murder. I realize that sociopath terrorists like the FALN lack remorse for their use of murder for political gain; but now our own government was disregarding my father’s life and death for some perceived political advantage.
Worse, releasing the terrorists placed the American people in danger. When I helped introduce the Pardon Attorney Reform and Integrity Act in February 2000, I warned about “the encouragement would-be terrorists must have received by the” FALN clemency grants. Unfortunately, that warning proved prophetic, and Sept. 11, 2001, took the life of my father’s 41-year-old godson, Steve Schlag, and 3,000 other innocent lives as my brother and I watched in horror from our downtown offices.
As Obama declares America needs his presidency because “ordinary Americans are hurting,” I recall the pain that one of his top advisers and a potential attorney general was an accomplice to inflicting on at least one “ordinary American” family. And then I am reminded how Holder’s actions also helped place America in harm’s way.
When he elevated Holder to such a senior campaign position, did Obama reflect the kind of judgment we need in a president? Absolutely not.”
http://www.humanevents.com/2008/08/20/faln-holder-and-obama-the-price-paid-by-one-ordinary-american/
The Bush family did not help the situation in the USA as to dealing with drug dealing and other crimes by Mexican cartels. I’m sure they never intended the tragic consequences of working with a corrupt society and It’s leaders. The Bush family was too sympathetic to the Latino/Mexican populace partly no doubt due to family connections. Unlike the Bush family which tried to make the best of two worlds, Obama and his enablers intended for the difficulties between the two worlds to be used to ‘change’ the USA to something far different than our Founders intended. Obama and his enablers might have assumed that they were with the Bush declaration of ‘a new world order’ coming. I recall an old saying that goes like ‘ what a web we weave once we deceive’. The USA must make the countries from where immigrants come illegally to be responsible for all including such oersons including families.
If this is all Bush's fault all we have to do is get Bush's and Isa's permission to release all the 300,000 emails?
Should make the job easier.
And then we can impeach Isa and Bush retroactively.
Works for me.
Dubya needs to get some pointers from Roger Clemens on how to take care of ‘bidness’.
Ask a mod to shorten the title so you can add the barf alert.
Thanks, Red. I'm embarrassed to say I've only just recently started paying attention to this story and am just now learning all the details.
Did the DoJ or ATF brief Congress about their plans to engage in criminal acts?
If not then so what if they voted for those programs?
You’re not the only one. I’ve been on this story since Jan. ‘11 and it has taken from then until now to understand clearly that Project Gunrunner was the agency-wide program and that local operations like Tucson’s F&F and Tampa’s Castaway (among others) all came under Gunrunner. (and there is/was no operation or program called “Gunwalker.”) The spin, stonewalling and deliberate misdirection have been absolutely monumental. Or as The Won might put it they have employed the audacity of mendaciousness.
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