ABC News announced that the government has presented information leading to the federal indictment of eleven men who had trained in the woods of Fairfax County, Virginia with “AK-47” style assault weapons. According to the government, the men had also participated in warlike paintball games to practice military tactics in Spotsylvania County and had practiced shooting at various shooting ranges.
There is the main paragraph describing what they are accused of. OK, well gee. That's not much. I mean I go to the boonies near where I live and shoot semi-autos. I don't play paintball, but some of the fellows I shoot with do. They certainly 'practice military tactics' when playing paintball, that's the key to the game as I understand it. And finally I belong to two gun clubs and shoot at both of them regularly, again often with the same friends who play paintball. Nothing described in this paragraph (which is designed to sound sinister and evil "AK-47" being a code word for "evil, bad" to most liberals) appears to be remotely illegal to me.
Here it says what they are actually CHARGED with:
has been charged with a variety of firearms violations and attempting to mount a military attack against a friendly nation, India.
OKAY. What"firearms violations?" Could we get a little more specific? Some technical violation of the 20,000 gun laws? And then of course there is "attempting to mount a military attack against a friendly nation, India"
Leaving aside the question of whether India is really a friendly nation what evidence do they have that they were attempting to mount a military attack? Does shooting AK's and playing paintball now constitute de-facto proof of attempting a military attack?
I see a lot of people jumping to conclusions here. I for one would like to see a lot more evidence before I agree that these people are part of a conspiracy to attack India. Where they organizing logistics? Were they in contact with people there? Remmeber the FBI and assorted three letter agencies have a pretty bad record for missing the mark on finding terrorists. This includes amazing things like overlooking the Chinese spy working for them for 10 years as well as falsly accusing lots of people (Atlanta bombing, Waco, FBI Crime Lab, etc.) of crimes they had nothing to do with.
Nothing in the above set of comments should be interpreted as the author having any sympathy for actual terroists or the Islamic or Islamist religion or political movements. I do not. But even for people with names like "Mohammed" I believe the American standard "innocent until proven guilty" applies. Lets see some proof, then hang em' high.
your question is a good one. On just what is in your question and without doing any follow on questioning I would be tempeted to say no.
Questions that I want asked and answered are:
1. Where did they get the AK's?
2. Did they get them legally?
3. Were they doing the shooting at an approved marksmanship range?
4. When they were paintballing were they doing it a an approved paintball range as just part of the every day crowd or were they off on their own in an unauthorized area doing something else?
5. Who was teaching them military tactics at the squad and possibly higher levels? What does his background check revel?
6. What exactly were the tactics they were practicing and what were the objectives that they were practicing to go after?
All questions that need to be asked, but I assure you that none of the talking heads in the PC media have the brains to ask those questions much less come up with the questions.
The answers, if truthfully given will paint the real picture.
I would hazard to bet that the FBI asked those questions and has the answers otherwise they would not have proceeded as they did. Answers that paint a picture that is not pretty and definately would not indicate another "ATF/FBI Waco" or "a ripping apart of the Constitution."